


Lucrative

by Caroaimezoe



Category: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Criminals, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Assassination, Bad Decisions, Beating, Business, Denial of Feelings, Developing Relationship, Dysfunctional Family, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Horny Teenagers, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Killing, Leo Is Sexy And Badass, Light BDSM, M/M, Master/Pet, Miscommunication, Motherfucking Awesome Bastard Don, Murder, Pickpockets, Porn With Plot, Porngst, Possessive Behavior, Promiscuity, Prostitution, Ramen, Sex Addiction, Sexual Tension, Turtlecest (TMNT), Voyeurism, writer artist collab
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:01:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 35
Words: 237,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26506363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caroaimezoe/pseuds/Caroaimezoe
Summary: Donatello was far too smart to stay a phone tech-guy or the Ramen shop's accountant. He had then an idea for a much more lucrative business. But he needs his brothers help.
Relationships: Donatello/Leonardo, Leonardo/Michelangelo (TMNT), Michelangelo/Raphael (TMNT)
Comments: 456
Kudos: 389





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Collaboration with Yiwei, an artist from China. You can find her on Twitter. She did the amazing designs.

* * *

**LUCRATIVE**

  
Don glared at the number of their last deposit with a scowl and he shut his laptop with a long, annoyed sigh. Of course, they had received the money, and tonight again, they got a contract that would earn him another five figures, but Don was too pissed to care.

“That son of a bitch,” he cursed under his breath, releasing a puff of smoke angrily. Leon got paid extra, yet again. That means the red-slider gave a little more heart into his job that he had been hired for. It’s happened more and more recently and every time, Don was shaking with rage. But what could he say to Leo? He was bringing his fair share of dough and has a 100% success mission history. He didn’t even fucked up like Mikey would do. It was quite the opposite. Leon just slid in Don’s pocket an additional $400. But it made him feel like a pimp, it made him so furious, he could howl. But Donatello knew better than to let himself be carried by too strong emotion. He took a last long, drag on his cigarette and he crushed it in the ashtray stiffly. They were too far in the business to step back and Leo’s specialty was making rain cash. There was no logical reason Don could oppose or send Leo into early retirement. But now, he was starting to regret his idea.

All of this had happened five years ago. Their adoptive father had left for Raphael, his eldest son, his shady Ramen shop as an heirloom after his death. Of course, Raph didn’t have what it takes to manage a shop, the poor soul. Anyway, even if he did, a Ramen shop was very unlikely to bring them enough money to reach the lifestyle they aimed at. Mikey and Leo were daydreaming over some Instagram pictures taken from a luxurious hotel by the beach on a private Island. They wanted to sip martinis on a boat of their own, with bikini-clad girls-or boys rubbing their feet. The range of their sexual interest seemed to be quite wide, but it wasn't something Don would criticize them for. But to have the newest Apple Phone and wear trendy, designer clothes couldn’t be achieved by selling noodles in a salty broth. Donnie didn’t have such material concerns, his goals were nobler. He wanted money for the power it could bring, that’s all. 

They have started by running the ramen shop until Don gets a more lucrative idea, more fitting with their respective skills. Each of them has a specific talent in the family, but one that would go to waste if it was spent in a ramen shop. Don could be harsh sometimes but wanted his brothers' happiness. Their childhood had been grim enough. 

None of them was blood-related, to begin with. It was obvious at first glance. They weren’t alike. Their father, a mutant rat, wasn’t a bad person. But he needed money as mutants had trouble finding a good salary-earning job. So, he had accepted to foster four mutant turtles from different species that had happened to be in a foster home to get government alimony. At the time, Raph was four, he and Leo three, and Mikey was barely even one year old. 

Raph, the eldest, was pure strength. 6’11 feet tall and 390 pounds of muscles. He was a mutant alligator snapping turtle, the strongest, more aggressive turtle species. But, like the Giganotosaurus, his brain was inversely proportional to his size. Thankfully, Raph was well aware of his limits and so obeyed blindly to his father and then, to his immediate younger brother, Donnie. 

Don was Raph’s opposite. He was a skinny kid, but his brain was something else.. Don had self-taught himself to read. His intelligence was noticed by some rich aristocratic relatives from the father, Don doubted the story, and had accepted to pay for Don’s study and to make him skip two grades in a private school. This is why even if he and Leo were only ten days apart for their age, Leo would still be in middle school when he graduated. The Baron wasn’t interested in paying for Donnie’s studies anymore-he never quite understood why; was he disappointing? University was out of reach, except if they asked for a loan, and it was impossible. 

At 16 years, he had managed to get hired as a phone tech guy. To say he hated this job was an understatement and it did nothing to improve Donatello’s opinion about humans. But their father’s business wasn’t doing well and they needed a second pay-check to make a living. 

They could barely eat, and Donnie had to wear Raph’s old clothes, even if he did look ridiculous in those too stretched out t-shirts and pants. 

But of course, Leo had always been a lucky boy, getting away from everything because of his good look. His body was made so that the clothes worn-out by Raph and then Donnie were too indecent on him. There was no way Leo strolled around in pants and shirts too easy to pull down or lift. So Leonardo was the one getting new clothes on his brother’s earnings. They were cheap, but apparently, Leo could turn a rag into something alluring that you couldn’t take your eyes off. Leonardo was fully aware of it and used his charm shamelessly since forever. He also has the smarts to take full advantage of whoever dumb enough to fall for his slutty routine. Because it was what Leo was; a slut. Don slammed his hand on his desk, remembering why he was so mad.

Leo did it again; spreading his legs to get more green when this guy had already anything he could dream, Don had made sure of it.

Don shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath. He had to calm down; everything was just ‘peachy’ like Mikey would say. He ran a face down his face and muttered a few more curses to vent off. Of course, Mikey could look at the bright side when he was having all the fun. In their Ramen shop, Mikey was an important asset; he was the cook and loved the attention and the feeling of being useful. 

Mikey loved to cook; and he loved the Japanese family recipes for the first six months. But after this time, he had grown bored; wanting to try new stuff like pizza-flavored gyoza. Don had told him until his face turned blue that they weren't customers for this kind of fusion-cuisine in this Bronx neighborhood. Mikey waited eagerly that someone, one day, would ask him to prepare something else than Ramen and Karaage. But the only different orders that sometimes he could get was the Chief Choice.

The Chief Choice had nothing to do with actual food. It was the password that the customers used to ask for their real family business: vengeance on a silver platter.

This is what Donnie had found the best to do like a living; from what he knew, no one had the idea before. Of course, some goons could bust kneecaps, but what they did was much more subtle, for the real connoisseur and without leaving any evidence, except some footage for the client to show the job had been well-done, like they were ninjas.

In the ramen shop too, they have all roles, according to their more obvious skill. In addition to Mikey, the cook, Raph was the janitor; if someone was doing trouble, he could turn bouncer. Leo with his long, endless legs, velvety eyes, and bright smile was the waiter. The few loyal customers the ramen shop had was because of him and his blatant flirting. Don’s place was in the office; he was the manager and also, the accountant. But the fact was most of the time he was dealing with their real family business, where they had a role as well, according to their talent. Their rates vary from $75 to $75,000 depending on the mission’s complexity and how wealthy the client seemed to be. It was an incredibly lucrative business.

Don was the brain behind every operation. He was the one meeting with clients or replying to the emails. He was also the one collecting money and giving to his brothers their assignments. He kept for himself everything that could be made from home. If a client asked that their target was humiliated, but have no more accurate idea, Don suggested that he could simply hack their computer. It was easy to find blackmail material on one's PC. He also can hack the email box, freeze the Paypal account, change the passwords, steal information, troll, or just send a Trojan Horse. In this modern world where people thought of a computer as safe, it was effortless to destroy one’s life without leaving his home in 30 minutes tops. Don was already busy enough dealing with his brother’s assignment. 

If the client wanted the target to be beaten up, Raph was the turtle of choice. It wasn’t that Raphael was aggressive, but their father had raised them to make them fighters. He had been a martial art actor in his youth and also, wanted to protect them, Don guessed. Being a mutant was more accepted for only a few years now. He still remembered how people had been harsh on them when they were toddlers and how hard Raph had been beaten in the first foster home. No wonder that he could barely speak. So, their days had been filled with karate, judo, taekwondo, and kung-fu. It had done some good on Donnie’s body. He wasn’t looking like a scrawny nerd, anymore. 

Raphael, by his size, was the more effective. It was rare that Raphael got praised for something, despite his goodwill to please his father and sibling. So, he immersed himself in the fighting, thrilled to be smiled at instead of smacked. He always carried weapons for his line of works, but any blow from Raphael could be lethal, even without being armed. 

If they were more than four guys, Leon would assist Raph. Even if he didn't look like a dangerous guy, with this bedroom eyes and his flirtatious face, Leo was able to make people bleed as easily as he could make them wet. He pretended to be a special agent in the Mutant Forces, sometimes, to impress his targets to have a reason to carry his blades. He was such a smooth talker that his bullshit worked. 

But the fact was Leo never went to any romantic dinner without his blades and if needed, he handed them better than a dick and could slit a throat in a blink if he was threatened. So, he was an excellent back-up for Raph. That was also why Don’s first idea was that he could still work on the side as a tech guy and hire his brothers as bodyguards for some big shots. Mutants were well researched for that. They had much more stamina, reflex, speed, and strength than mere humans, even more, when they were trained. But quickly, Don had seized humans and what their dark soul truly desired: it wasn’t their protection, but the destruction of the one they hated for XYZ reason. 

It was a great opportunity to make a lot of cash, even more, when no one had gotten into this business than them in the whole country, the world even. At first, the hacking and beating parts had been the only avenues Don had imagined that could be used. But it seemed that human souls were more complicated and some were very vicious in their idea of retaliation. This is where Leo’s line of business developed; to hurt people below the belt. It was a very popular choice and now, Leo was always busy on solo missions.

The only bummer was that when Raph started to beat someone, the poor guy didn’t realize his strength, neither knew when to stop, hence why he couldn’t be left alone. This is why Mikey accompanied him if Leo was busy. First, they needed to record evidence that the job had been done, second Raph had to be told when to stop. It was Mikey’s primary duty, even if he had his missions as well. Mikey’s strong point was how innocent he looked. People were misled by his wide blue eyes and his baby’s face. He didn't look 18 years old at all, no less than 14. With that, Mikey could sneak anywhere without people suspecting him. His mission was the easiest; it was for the people without deep reason to hold a serious grudge or not wealthy enough. Following someone and taking incriminating pictures, stealing something, swapping a phone, recording a confession, or scratching a car were Mikey’s regular assignments. Besides that and being a cook six days a week from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm, he was mostly their errand boy. Mikey was too much of a partying guy to be fully trusted, despite Leo vouching for him. The few complaints they got is when Mikey emptied some clients’ pockets. Don knew for sure that the little shit was sneaking into his office to try to steal some of Donnie’s stash too. Leo was always siding with Mikey as if he was his doting mother. It was infuriating but it wasn’t enough of a reason for him to flip his desk. 

Don snarled and crushed his cigarette, thinking of his blue-banded brother.

Leo’s missions were the ones that required more subtlety and could take more time. He was the honey trap, the one in charge of anything concerning love and sex, and well, it was more than half of their business. If a divorced woman wanted to get vengeance from her ex, she could pay them for Leo to seduce the man’s new wife or get him red-handed while cheating. Sometimes, people wanted vengeance by using the target’s offspring. Leonardo was specialized in perverting maiden, reveal their homosexuality to male teen, and broke wedding engagement. Leo was clever enough to succeed without actually sleeping with his target. If he did, he was asking for $800 extra for each time, and in the last two months, those extras were happening every single time.

As the one in charge, Don was taking a 50% cut on any mission. Well, he took Raph’s cut entirely because the poor guy would be too stressed up to count his cash to buy bubble gum and Raph’s missions were very rentable. With his part, Raph’s, and 50% of Leo and Mikey’s, Don was making around $7,000 by day. But if Don was taking the biggest part, it wasn’t for him; it was for all of them. If they had full access to their money, soon enough they would go into bankruptcy. The ramen shop was only self-sufficient to launder their money. Don was paying the bills for their apartment above the shop, their food, and well, all the burner laptops he needed for their business to work. Donnie was having all the stress and worked the hardest while others were just getting off being fucked by everybody. Thinking of it again, he was done. He stood up, pushing away his office chair. He will give Leo a piece of his mind. 

He quickly rinsed his mouth with a mint mouthwash. Reeking of tobacco was aiming at the image he wanted to give. He smoothed the fabric of his expensive tailored shirt and swung open the door of his office. 

It was Sunday, and the ramen shop was closed. It was relaxing not to pretend to care for people and cheap food. But Raph was there, mopping the floor, humming a jazzy song with that crooner’s voice of his, not having gotten the memo that today was Sunday and it was a day off. Donatello didn’t correct Raph and climbed to the first floor. Raph was happy and the innocent soul deserved his innocent pleasures.

They were all living in this narrow apartment above the shop but hidden behind their door and the IRS, they have all the last high-tech gadgets and any trendy new stuff. They have their bedrooms and private spaces, but he was sure to find Mikey and Leo laying on Leo’s bed together. Those two were two peas in the same pod. Since their adoption, Leo had been like a doting mother with Mikey, raised him all wrong, and now, it was to wonder who was the bad influence of the two. They were often locked into Leo’s bedroom and Don’s face twisted. It was easy to imagine what they could do there: kissing, touching, because morality was a concept too much beyond them. He balled his fists, trying to compose himself. He never surprised anything more than some pecks on the lips and a lot of cuddles between them, but Don wasn’t fooled a bit. They were too close and hung out too much together for it to be innocent. Both of them were shameless when it comes down to feeling good.

Also, Donatello knew first-hand incest wasn’t stopping Leonardo when he was feeling horny-or even affectionate. As he climbed the staircase with a heavy step, images flashed in his mind of that night three years ago when Don had wanted to celebrate the family’s first $1,000,000 in savings. They have drunk three Louis Roederer Cristal Brut 2008 bottles and have ended up…ugh...erasing this memory. It wasn’t the time to think about this. Don was already overwhelmed with ugh...emotions. Emotions were counterproductive. It couldn’t buy him the latest Apple gadget, a nice jacket, or fine red wine.

Music was coming from Leo’s room and some giggles. What were they doing? Drugs? Jerking off together? Crossdressing? Anything was possible and more money meant also fewer limits, Donnie should’ve learned by now. Leo was the one having the biggest money cut, after Don’s himself and the red-slider could have many flaws, he wasn’t stingy. Mikey loved to stick at his ass because Leo was willingly sharing any goodies with his “baby-bro.” Don knew that Sunday afternoon was sacred to his brothers. Usually, if they were not doing anything damaging too much to their health, Don was leaving them be, as the cool big brother he was. He didn’t want them to stick their noses in his business and neither should he, but today, he didn’t care. He was pissed off and needed to blow some steam.  
  
He didn’t even bother to knock on the door and pushed it open. 

They both snapped their head towards the intruder. Both were as Don had imagined them to be, laying on their plastron on Leo’s bed, apparently busy with Mikey’s Ipad. But Don’s zeroed not on whatever shit they watched, but instead of what Leo wore. It was an old, worn-out t-shirt that he had worn himself as a teen. It was Raph’s brand new white t-shirt, but the snapping turtle had done the laundry wrong, mixing colors and white and the t-shirt had turned a weird lilac. In his simple mind, Raph had decided that since their father had decided purple was Don’s colors, the new t-shirt must be handed over to Donatello. T-shirts had never been his item of choice, but they were so poor that he had been glad to have something new actually, even if it was too wide for him and a little too short because of the drying machine. At the moment they had decided to launch their new business, he had thrown it away because he needed to be impeccably dressed to be taken seriously. He was picked on too much when he was a kid for his torn-off clothes to not enjoy the softness of the precious fabric now. Now, people turned their heads when he walked on the street for a whole other reason. Elegance, power, and wealthiness were pouring from him. 

But now, Leo was wearing this old, used, t-shirt, too slack around him. Tied around his thigh, there was the black-leather knife sheath, enhancing his endlessly long and fine legs of his. It stood out against the green-leaf hue and Don to be sure to not look like he was lusting over his brother, decided to kill any incoming boner by remembering why Leo had a knife, to begin with.

That knife never left Leo's side ever since he and Mikey got attacked back in middle school. 

Don would never forget that day, no one in their family ever would. Raph hadn’t understood everything but had cried a lot and to see Raph crying was as heartbreaking as Leo’s and Mikey’s busted lips and black eyes when they limped back home. This day had been a crack in their life. Their life was splitting into two parts; before and after that day. 

Since then, Leo was doing all his assignments but with at least two blades. Sometimes, he hides them behind his clothes, sometimes, he didn’t. That he had them at home wasn’t troubling Donatello. Better safe than sorry. It was supposed to be a warning sign; like a “Don’t touch,” but Don couldn’t compel his eyes away from it. He got a few compliments about his thighs, but Leo’s legs were tantalizing. Don had been crazy enough to buy insurance on them, saying they were mandatory for Leo’s works. 

The lilac, oversized t-shirt was lifted around him, maybe because Leo was stretched out or because he and Mikey had been playing with their body as the horny teenagers they were before Donnie stepped in. Lately, Leonardo was wearing more sexy military outfits, most of the time. It was his style when he had to seduce men or back-up Raph. Don was always careful to have his eyes elsewhere and to enter Leo's room only after having sent an email beforehand to announce his visit if it was something he couldn’t explain in the email. Even so, he was more often convoking Leo into his office. Then, he was sure Leo would be fully dressed. But this time, he didn’t announce himself. Leo stretched his hand to turn down the volume. The casual t-shirt was unveiling Leo’s cute little tail and toned ass and, for a heartbeat, Don was so taken off guard by the sight that he wasn’t fast enough and couldn’t drown the memory.

It was three years ago and it was the Saturday between his and Leo’s 18th birthday. Leo had started his honey trap job, but wasn’t collecting such extra, yet, but it was enough to increase their income twice quicker. They just bought the Mercedes and some other crazy expenses and still, they have $1,000,000 in savings. They needed to celebrate. They were now filthy rich and if Don wanted to use his tailored pants to sit at the University, he could. He had bought a big cake with pink icing for Raph and let him drink the milk from the carton and have all to himself the tv to watch his cartoon. There was no way, they made Raph drink, who knows what could happen? Mikey had got $1,000 to spend at the arcade center, because he was 15 years old and couldn’t drink, according to Donatello and the law. Meanwhile, Don and Leo had popped up the first bottle. Two others had followed this first bottle. Perhaps it was because it was the first time they got so wasted or the carbonation, but they had ended up in Leo’s bed.

They were drunk and so wet, the bedsheets were slippery from the spilled sparkling wine and their own fluids. Under his fingers, he had felt his brother tremble with needs. Leo had wanted to try to swap Champagne while kissing like in his mangas and Don had indulged him in his fantasies. He had got to know that Champagne kisses were the most intoxicating thing ever, even more, when you trusted into a hot, tight, very eager body. All around them, banknotes were scattered and everything had smelled like pure sex, decadence, lust, and sin like they were participating in the Emperor Caligula’s orgy. At some moment, he guessed they had been very loud. Well, he was positive Leo had been very vocal, but Raph was too dim-witted to understand and if Mikey came back and had understood, he had never spoken about it, not to Don, anyway. But he could bet Mikey had beaten off on their moans, the little pervert. The fact was that, in the heat of the moment, he hadn’t cared. Maybe it had been the alcohol or the success reaching to their head, but Don had found the sex exhilarating that night. 

But he had woken up with a hangover, a dirty bed and Leo passed out of having his ass ridden all night long. From what he could remember, he had been the one to initiate it and this slack of his self-control had ashamed him. It wasn’t that this isn’t what a kind of thing you do to your brothers, making them twice the freaks they already are. Leo was already troublesome enough without them getting into a _brothers-with-benefits_ kind of relationship. Donnie needed to focus on their business, for the sake of their whole family. What if he started to like doing that and then, develop-God, prevent it from happen-feelings? It was obvious Leo wasn't a one turtle’s man. Don knew him enough for that! There was no way he would start falling for Leo, get jealous, and then start fighting. What if he falls so bad for Leo that he wasn’t able to send Leo on a mission because he wouldn’t want Leo to even seduce and pretend to love someone else? It would fuck up all that Donatello was carefully building.

They never talked about it ever again, and he sent Leo on any solo mission he could. He never had Champagne again either despite how Don liked to be elegant. It was too much of a traitorous drink. Why was he thinking of that now? It wasn’t the point.

“Mikey, Raph told me he won’t go work tonight if he didn’t have spaghetti for dinner. I think we miss some ingredients.” He pulled out two $100 bucks. “You know what to do? Keep the change.” 

Mikey and Leo shared a look. They both know it was a pretense to get Mikey out of the way for him to have Leo alone. Mikey shrugged.

“Can’t fight a craving.” He smirked like he knew it was bullshit. But it wasn’t like he could check with Raph if it was true. “See you, later, bro.”

At the exact moment the door closed, Don attacked.

“Why are you whoring yourself out again!” he shouted, trembling with rage.

Leo straightened himself a little but stayed casually on the bed. 

“What? I did it, right? The mission is done with 100% satisfaction, I’m sure of it!” Leonardo replied idly. “What's your beef?”

“My beef is that you make me look bad!” Don had yelled the first thing he could think of. It was indeed a good reason why he was so mad. “You don’t have to go that far to manage to get this mission checked on your work pad. You are enough of a flirt for that!” Don sucked in a deep breath and returned into his cold, dispassionate self. He won’t lose his cool over that. “People would say you are a slut! I don’t want to be associated with a slut,” Don finished with a disdainful scowl. 

Leo raised an eye ridge and his velvety black eyes got a sharper shine. Leonardo was displeased with the comment obviously, but more annoyed than insulted.

“You weren’t there to know if it was mandatory or not,” he retorted. He turned on his shell, and sat up, keeping his legs spread slightly. “A good boss is trusting his best earner employee’s judgment,” he mocked. “Anyway, why do you complain? The client is satisfied and he has paid, right?”

“Raph is the biggest earner, not you,” Don countered, very aware it wasn’t the point. “Are you that horny?” he blurted out. “Ever heard about restraint and self-control!”

“Maybe I am. Horny, I mean,” Leo added, he stretched on his bed, like a cat. “I’m so fucking sore, this guy rode my ass like there was no tomorrow.” He uttered a light groan, as he was unaware of Don’s face flushed by anger. “Be a good pimp for me and rub my shell or something,” Leo said in a faked whining voice. He waved his foot in front of his brother. “Don’t forget my feet.”

Donatello turned livid. The motherfucker was aggravating him on purpose.

“Besides, you are there, lecturing me because I’m horny, but are we not the last Sunday of the month?” Leo flashed a predatory sneer. “You know the night you get off with some over-rated call-girl instead of your palm?" He winked. “It is not a case of the pot calling the kettle black."

Donatello paled to the mockery. He wasn't completely hiding it but was quite surprised that Leo knew that once a month, he would rent a high-class prostitute. Regardless, he decided he had no reason to feel ashamed. It was a stress relief like another and even for that, Don kept some basic rules: protection, no kiss, cumming only once was fine. It was a shake and go business: she was leaving 45 minutes after her arrival. He never chose the same, either, but he had a thing for slender girls, with dark eyes and hair and something cocky on their features. But of course, Leo couldn’t know so much, since Don always rented a hotel room in Manhattan. ‘It wasn’t anything unusual for a man of his standing’, Donnie would tell himself again. He was a healthy male mutant with normal urges. He was single, had money and it was consensual. Yet, how Leo was poking him about it rubbed him the wrong way. 

"At least, I’m the one being paid,” Leo trailed off. The red-eared slider stood up graciously, putting a show of it, as his usual. He walked toward Don and the genius kept his unbothered front, even when Leo was cornering him.

“Stingy as you are, you should want to keep the money in the family. So, why not me?” Leo’s black-pearl like eyes flickered down and up Don. His voice was only a low-pitch and a shiver ran through Don’s spine. “I can give you the “friend and family” price and I will give you back 50% of it as my pimp. Deal?” he teased and Don slapped him.

The slap hadn’t been harsh, because Don could be hard with his brothers sometimes, kinda controlling every day, but he wasn’t violent. Every time his emotion was winning the best of him, he felt it as a failure. Thankfully, he didn't happen often. But Leo grazed his cheek in amazement.  
  
"I'm sorry, I lost my temper." Don apologized in a flat voice, his expression cold. He straightened himself, using his one inch taller to glare at the one they called his twin. “But don’t call me your pimp,” he finished with a grimace. “Don't make such bad jokes either.”  
  
Leo chuckled. Of course, he could take more than a slap. The bastard was just finding it highly entertaining to have managed to crawl under his skin so much. 

"I know you don’t mean it. After all, I’m your favorite bro," Leo said in a carefree manner.

Don uttered a sigh and rolled his eyes. He could rely on Leo to never take anything seriously.

"Raph is my favorite brother, actually. " he deadpanned. "He is less troublesome than you and Mikey."

His relationship with Leonardo was the most volatile among his brothers. It hadn’t been like that before. He remembered they were getting along in their youth. But the Champagne night had changed them and it seemed to be beyond repair. It made him lonely because even though Raph can be very sweet, he can't hold a conversation; while Leo and Mikey were very close in their relationship. But of course, it wasn’t something Don would complain aloud. Leo was already enough of an arrogant prick and besides, they were all safe and rich enough to not care to fit into the human mold, anymore. 

"Why are you wearing such a rag?” Don needed to change the topic, to turn it on a lighter matter. He reached unconsciously for his cigarette, before remembering he didn’t smoke in front of his brothers. “I bought you a full Dolce-Gabbana wardrobe tailored for you!”

Leo had returned to sit on his bed, snickering.

“It's supposed to be a cute look, wearing a boyfriend’s t-shirt,” he said seductively. 

At this, Don’s cold demeanor flew out the window. He gasped, eyes widened and his jaw on the floor. Leo threw his head back, bursting into a cynical laugh. 

“Lots of whores think their pimps are their boyfriend, right?” he jeered, eyes gleaming with mischief.

“Fuck you!”

To be that angry and crude wasn’t Don at all, but Leo was driving him crazy. “I never thought of you as a whore! You’re the one treating yourself this way! It had never been the deal for you to go that far!” he shouted, shaking with anger to have been called a pimp again. Leo was the asshole! Not him! “And you know what, since you don’t know seemliness and are dishonoring yourself and me, I’m suspending all your contracts! You would return as to what you were supposed to be! Raph’s back up! And this until you can keep your legs closed!”

Leonardo’s expression turned sour.

“Who do you think you are? My father?” Leo snarled, riled up. “You aren’t even my big brother!”

“Want me to make Raph repeat what I said?” Don quipped back. “No problem. But anyway, I’m something much more important, Leon. I’m your boss.” It was so good to see Leo helpless, staring at him with those burning eyes. It almost makes Donatello hard. “And your boss is telling you to be ready for tonight. Raph would need you. There are seven guys to draw a confession from and well, maybe a guy or two to drop into the Hudson River. Don’t pout, you will like it.” Don’s smirk stretched. At least, he could allow this pleasure to his brother. “They were bullying our client’s son. His son committed suicide a few weeks ago.” Leo’s eyes were now filled with hatred, not for him, Donnie, but those targets. Leo hated bullies. “The client wants them to pay. I will transfer you the mail with the details later on.”

It gave him back his cold confidence and with a smug smirk, he walked to the door. 

“Oh, and Leon, put some clothes on,” he said, before leaving, quietly shutting the door, calm and cool again. He wasn’t even fazed when he heard the noise of the knife stabbing the wooden door. 

Leo was angry, but that wasn’t important. The fact was that Leo wouldn't be able to spread his leg tonight and it would be a very profitable contract, making up for the one he would refuse until Leo learned his lesson. He had won and he felt an excitement that boarded arousal. He pulled his phone, looking at the available girls at the call-girl agency to get an appointment. He found one and arranged it at 9:00 pm. It was still a few hours away. Donnie licked his lips. He was so pleased with himself, he could give himself another gratification in the meanwhile. On his way, to his office, he gently tapped Raph’s head. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fan art below by Renegadebleat


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art to come! (scene in the car) Come check here again

In the luxurious room of the Sofitel, Don was thrusting into the prostitute for about ten minutes when he slowed his movement before stopping completely, considering the new idea he just got. He pulled out with the same eagerness as Archimedes leaving his bath and was very close to yelling out “Eureka!” But instead, he fixed his tie in front of the hotel room’s mirror, done with the sex, and ready to go to other businesses. When he was having his rented tryst, he didn’t bother to undress completely; he only removed his pants and his jacket, keeping his shirt and tie on. 

“You can leave,” Don said, pulling another banknote from his wallet and dropping it on the messed up bed. He didn’t cum, but didn’t care. He doesn’t feel like it would happen, anyway. “I have a job to do.”

The black-haired prostitute didn’t protest and snatched the bills. Of course, she must have been glad that her encounter with the mutant was over. It wasn’t only about their alien appearance, but the mutants were well-known to have incredible sexual stamina. It was very hard for humans to keep up with them. This is why they couldn’t reach any satisfaction with a human, but only with another mutant partner, and no, Don wasn’t going down this road again. He forced himself to focus all his thoughts on this new idea.

Okay, maybe he was thinking about Leonardo, the smug bastard, while he was pounding into the woman, just a little. How she faked being horny was obvious, but Donnie couldn’t have helped but think that Leonardo was looking more lascivious when he was untwisting a jam jar. Maybe he had also kind-of regretted not having his right mind at the time because he was too drunk to record their night three years ago. It would have been a good jerk-off material. Not because he desired Leo, hell no! But the jerk was making such erotic moans and churrs that just by the sound of it, Don could have blown his load without looking at the image. He had tried to dismiss the idea and focus on the woman underneath him. 

Once a month, Don would be selfish and allowed himself a few hours off. He would snort some cocaine on the lower back of a $2,000 whore, fuck her and go back home, feeling almost refreshed. It was enough of a release for him to stand his brothers’ shenanigan a couple of days without snapping too badly. 

Don told himself he was doing nothing wrong. This prostitute and two lines were a reward of hard mental labor. He wasn’t really into drugs, it was so counterproductive, and he was too smart for that. He only micro-dosed triweekly to keep his focus at work, dealing with their accounts and their two-dozen of weekly contracts. Addiction wasn’t him. When something was wrong for him, likely to distract him from his goals and work, he cut it off. Like having a sexual relationship with his brother, for example. 

But Donatello needed this more common release, and this let go of his usually controlled self once a month. It helped with his work performance, and it was also what successful and wealthy men do, and was he not supposed to enjoy doing this kind of thing? What would be the point of earning money if he wasn’t?

And just at this moment, when he was thrusting mercilessly into this expensive, but still a little too slack pussy, trying to get again the thrills he had felt once, he had just found a way to make more cash. The most genius ideas always fell onto him at the least expected moment. And this one was sure a crazy as hell, great idea.

What he knew about humans was that they were all perverted and cruel people, and sometimes, the richer they were, the darker they turned. Their business was about giving a hand to their client in their desire for vengeance. Every time, they recorded it to show that the job was done. He knew it was a feature of their service the clients appreciated, but maybe there were other means to share it on the dark web for other paying customers? 

The snuff movies were a thing, but for some less twisted people, it was too much. Don’s imagination ran wild as he tied his pants: what if the mission was live-streamed? He could blur his brothers’ faces. The rich people that had a paid-subscription to their channel could watch it online and then, even suggest something they would want to see Raph doing to them? If they wanted to make a request, Don could charge them, let’s say...$400? The more he thought about it, the more he realized how their income would grow. If they played their cards right, they could have an early retirement at 35 years old, and he would be able to play golf with Raph as rich retired men do, admitting he liked to golf.

More importantly, damn Leonardo would be even less justified to fuck around to make a living. Don puffed some smoke and watched his reflection with a cocky smile. He checked if he had any white powder around his nostrils and meticulously studied his image again. His tie was a little crooked but fixed it with a satisfied sigh. What a genius he was!

***

“What the fuck are you doing there?” It was already 10 pm and they have to leave in about thirty minutes. “This is not the time for foreplay!” Donatello growled, a bulging vein as his temple. After having brushed his teeth, he had jumped in his car to set up the channel. He wanted to start soon and contact all their past and current customers to offer them a deal on the subscription. Even by charging only $60 a month, they would easily make $10,000 by month. He didn’t doubt that hundreds of their clients would be interested in such a thing. Even if no one requested something, it was still worth it. It was only a beginning, they could gather another type of clientele, people that had no need for vengeance but could be a lurker. And of course, Don would collect all their ID information as self-protection for them. If the Hamato Brothers got caught, they would have to get down with them. 

But while he was there, trying his best to make their family business prospering, Mikey and Leo were fooling around. 

Leonardo was on his knees, his hand banded above his head, and his eyes covered with his blue bandana. They all wore colored bandana since their adoption. It was to help little Raph with naming them since their names were too long and hard for him. When he was still alive, their father was calling them by their color. Hence why when he was home, he was wearing a purple bandana. Even if Raph recognized his name by now and well, Don was pretty sure he knew theirs too, they still wore them, even Raph himself. 

So, Leo was on his spread knees, tied and blindfolded, in front of Mikey in the middle of the empty Ramen shop. He was wearing an expensive Charvet white dress shirt almost unbuttoned. The vision was so unexpected, ridiculously sexy, and out of place that Don gasped, before kicking himself and snapping out of it. 

In a corner, Raph was half-asleep, watching his little brother with a dopey smile. But Don’s pumped out arrival had stirred out of his sleep.

“We’re training,” Mikey chirped. “Leon had asked me to help him with his escaping skills.”

It sounded like utter bullshit in Donnie’s opinion, and the scene more reminded him of a fetish porn movie, but Don knew better than to try to understand their logic and meddle in their games. It was such a waste of time when he had so many valuable things to do. But it was still rubbing him the wrong way. Besides, escaping skills was already one of Leonardo’s strong points. This is why Don had stopped to try to ground him in his bedroom when they were fourteen. There was no use. Leonardo would flash a bright grin and disappear through the Great Wall of China as frigging David Copperfield if he wanted to do.

“Why does your Houdini routine need to involve a brand new dress shirt that cost me $525?” Donnie retorted, his voice clipped. "Use sportswear like normal people."

“I can’t wear an old t-shirt and I can’t even wear a new dress shirt,” Leo smirked smugly. Under the blindfold, Don could guess the black eyes shining with mischief. “What do you want, Donnie? That I stay ass-naked?” he quipped. Don was fast enough to drown the idea away without any muscle of his face moving. But even blindfolded, Leo knew when he aimed bullseyes and this son of a bitch liked to poke at the wound.

“What happened? She wasn’t a great lay?” Leonardo asked, pretending concern. “Are you pissy because you didn’t get to get off?” he teased. “Next time, call me.”

Donatello ran his hand down his face. Leon knew all too well how to crawl under his skin.

“What I want is that you are getting ready for our mission and be serious for once, for fuck sake!” Why were they still annoying brats! He tried to compose himself. “I just got an idea, a very lucrative one.” He stared at Mikey intently, giving Leo not the slightest interest. It was the best way to piss Leo off, and Donnie knew it. “You keep complaining that I don’t give you a mission deserving of your talents. I had just the one for you tonight.”

Mikey’s attention was grabbed. For months, he was begging to get much more important contracts. Since Leo’s contracts piled up, why could he not relieve him of a few? He might as well as Leo play the honey trap, he had protested. It had always been like that, whatever Leo does, Mikey wanted to do the same. Why couldn't Michelangelo choose a better role model, like Donatello himself, to begin with? But it was already too late, Mikey was on a great start to be even more slutty than Leo himself. They were the real twins. Why was he caring for them, already? April, his only friend was teasing him endlessly about his brocon. He wasn’t a brocon in the slightest bit, but April couldn’t understand. She wasn’t a mutant alone of her kind and she doesn’t have a sibling. Don had no choice but to care for them because if he was not, who will?

“Tell me, tell me!”Mikey was on the verge of hysteria, too excited to remember Don was supposed to be a dictator he tried to rebel against.

Don knew better than to spill the beans before the four of them were sitting in the car, making their way. Then, Mikey would finally move his ass and kick Leo’s.

“Raph, get ready your usual weapons and also…” Don mused a moment about what could be a popular choice. “Get the shears. We can cut some fingers tonight.”

Raph nodded quietly with a sigh when Mikey turned flustered and fidgety. The twisted pervert that he was already getting hard with the prospect of the torture. For Mikey, it was another game and payback for the attack back at middle school and all their past misery being bullied and beaten. 

Leo had managed to get his hands free and removed his blindfold. He raised an eye ridge.

“That wasn’t mentioned in the email you graciously sent to me, your manager assistant,” he mocked. He stood up, the shirt was barely covering him, and Don looked away with irritation. Why was he cursed with an exhibitionist as a brother? “Could you please email me the updates before I went through the trouble of planning?” Leonardo complained, exasperation lacing his voice. 

Don rolled his eyes. It wasn’t a new issue. For some weird reason, Leo hated e-mail, not understanding how convenient they were. Of course, he wasn’t because he wasn’t busy as Donnie was. And he didn’t understand why Leo was putting himself down as the assistant manager. Of course, this title was ridiculous, yet Leo was the only one calling himself that. But the fact was that Don thought Leo must feel honored that he was trusting his judgment enough to entrust him with the planning of their missions and the safety of their brothers when Donatello was too busy to do it. It showed Donnie gave him some value, only on the cognitive aspect, of course, but Leon had to be a jerk with it because he was a jerk with everything.

“Are you high?” Leo asked, frowning and Mikey's look got sharper. Don told himself he should empty his pockets before Mikey did it. The youngest had no trouble stealing from his brothers, even less Donnie. The ungrateful little shit was a natural at being pickpocket.

“There’s not that much change to make to your plan, I’m sure,” he said coldly to appease Leonardo. “Be ready in thirty minutes.” he only bothered to add before locking himself in his office. 

Thirty minutes later, all done. They have their channel up on the dark web and already 110 subscribers. Don crushed his cigarette with satisfaction.

“Donnie, we are readyyyyy,” Mikey singsong. “Raph had his stuff ready and Leo is dressed in the sexy ninja outfit you like so much….”

It was enough to beckon Don out of his office. He took a swig of his espresso and stood up. He had changed himself, not wearing the clothes he had at the hotel earlier. He needed new clothes, his professional ones to draw a line between his work and private life. Even if what he called a _private_ life was only a few hours a month. 

“I don’t know what you are talking about. I don’t care for any outfits of his,” Don muttered the moment he stepped out from his office. But seeing Mikey’s outfit, his eyes bulged. “What the fuck are you doing cross-dressed?”

Mikey was wearing a cute, pink blush jacket and a skirt, and Don, the first shock passed, knew who was the cause of it.

“Nardo!” he yelled. Where is this motherfucker? “What is the reason for this? Have you ever understood our main job requirement was fucking discretion?” Mikey was grinning innocently, very sure his big bro Leon got this. “Again, what is going on in this cryptic mind of yours!” Don grunted, running an exhausted hand down his face.

Leonardo was climbing down the staircase, with a damn smug smirk on his lips and his bandana off. Don refused to even look at him. He even refused to know how he looked. This asshole should understand that whatever he could do, he can’t throw Donatello out of his game. 

“There’s seven of them, you know.” Leonardo’s voice was a low-pitch as he must use it with his target. “We don’t know if they didn’t gather some more friends. Also, we have to make sure none of them have a gun. Raph may be a tank, and you may be a genius, but none of us are bulletproofed.” Leo shrugged. His voice was weird, like thicker than usual and a little strained. “We need someone who can get close to them. You know Mikey has a very sharp eye. He could manage to steal a gun, or two, at the limit, but if they are all armed, it would be impossible. So, I thought…” Leonardo smiled maliciously, and Don knew he wouldn’t like what will follow. “If they have a gun, it’s in their jacket. We need to get them undressed. I can take a lot, but even seven guys at once could be too much for me. Mikey would go first, and then I would appear as back up.”

Donatello turned livid, all his dream of profit fading from his mind. Why, why Leo has to turn everything in an opportunity to get his ass pounded! They were out to at least murder someone, goddammit! Could Leo do his job seriously for once? Even more, Don was supposed to record. He was sure as hell not recording his sibling getting fucked for the other’s entertainment.

“Have you no morals? You are willing to whore out your little brother!” he exclaimed, motioning toward Mikey. He knew Mikey was far from innocent as pure as he seemed, but that was taking the damn motherfucking cake! 

“Aren’t you using your big brother as a tool?” Leo motioned toward Raph who waited patiently for his siblings to stop arguing. “You are whoring his biceps out. Biceps, ass, these are only body parts,” Leo snickered. “Is there any difference?”

“Don’t you dare mix Raph into this!” Donnie was fuming. Raph was a touchy topic in the family. They were all very protective of him, and Don is more so. He always feels kind of guilty to have robbed Raph from his position of heir and eldest son, but he did it for the sake of everyone! If they were living by Raph’s principle, they would be homeless by now! They won’t have two fucking Mercedes in the garage next to their shop. “He is fine! Right, Raph?”

Raphael looked at Donnie with wide eyes and started sweating immediately. To have his opinion asked was giving him a panic attack every time, and Donnie felt bad. Fuck, he needed a smoke. 

“Yeah, yeah, Raph is blissful…” Leo looked away and bit his lips as he wanted to add something, but decided against it. “Anyway, we won’t have to go that far to have actual sex...unfortunately,” Leo trailed off as he did regret that he would maybe not have the opportunity to get fucked by his targets. “So your honor is safe, Donnie,” he taunted.

Leo strolled next to him with his sensual way of walking and Don couldn’t help but notice and took detail. Leo wore his tight pants and crop top with several straps that were making it look like some BDSM outfit. But the clothes were hiding, in the straps and pockets, the deadly blades Leo wouldn’t leave behind. An image popped into Donnie’s brain. Leo was like a beautiful carnivorous flower, the vivid hue of green of his skin, making his similarity with a Venus Flytrap even more evident. Don knew how dangerous the plant’s trap was, as Leo was toxic, and again, Don put on a jaded face and looked away. He had twice the reason to look away after having been teased by Mikey about it being his so-called favorite outfit. It wasn’t, but at least this one covered Leo’s ass and tail, just unveiling the hard plastron and the toned biceps. 

When Leo passed by Don, he pulled out his tongue in a mocking grimace. Don’s eyes zeroed immediately on something very foreign and new on his brother: a silver barbell. So this is why he was speaking strangely. Leonardo got his tongue pierced after he left, and his eyes went to Mikey. The youngest has a gem tongue ring as well. This was probably what he and Mikey were talking about in the room. Leo knew Don wanted them to look proper and classy, and Don didn’t need half of his brain to know they did it on purpose to irritate him. But Donnie wouldn’t give them the pleasure to get angry over such trivial things. He was immune to such silly rebellious acts. 

“To do such a thing behind my back, what are you, twelve?” Don huffed. It was their body, and they could do whatever they wanted with it. He didn't think at all about the sensation the cold silver could do to his sensitive cock. From his memory, Leonardo was giving incredible oral. “If you get an infection, don't come crawling back to me and complain,” he grunted. “Come on now, we are late."

He could see they were a little deterred by his mild reaction, and he struggled hard to not show any jubilation on his face. He hadn't said his last word about Leo's planning. What frustrated him the most is that whatever Leo had planned, he was always successful. He knew that Leonardo was right about the guns. Since their job required utter discretion, they couldn't use guns, way too loud. Moreover, Raph couldn't have a gun. Who knows what he could do? A lot of damage to himself and the others was probably the answer. 

In the car, an obsidian black metallic S-class coupe, part of the trip was silent while Don was reading the client’s email. He had an excellent memory, but it was better safe than sorry. Raph was driving, and oddly, it was something he could do very well. He was very careful to never speed and put on his flashers. No one wanted to get pulled over by the police and arise undesired attention on their business. When he finished with the email, Donnie asked Leo without turning to look at him.

“So, what's your plan?”

“Oh, I’m glad you asked,” Leo chirped from the back seat with the more sarcasm he could manage. “I did gather information while you were busy doing drugs and fucking pussy.”

Donatello’s heart skipped a beat. Was he spied on? How? It wasn’t the image he wanted to give to his brothers, to no one for the matter, but Don kept an undazed front. It wasn’t Leo’s business what he did in his free time; a free time that was about three hours a month. Don was a model of self-restraint, hard work, and logic. And Leo of all people had no room to judge him!

“I wasn’t,” he still denied, dispassionate. Now he had to find another way to blow off some steam. “So, this plan?” he insisted with a bored voice, as Leo was dragging it. 

“Wait a minute…” Leo typed on his phone. “There! Sent!” he exclaimed.

Frowning, not understanding what Leo was doing, Don felt a buzz in his pants. With a slow understanding, he pulled his cellphone from his pants.

He just got an email from Leo, and he scowled. 

“You are so childish,” Don mumbled. Why was Leo making such a big deal from this email thing? The asshole had gone as far as typing his plan, more formally than ever, starting with “Dear CEO or whomever it may concern.” Absentmindedly Donnie rummaged in his jacket pocket to pull out his gold 24k cigarette case before remembering he wasn’t supposed to smoke in front of his brothers. Why was he making such a sacrifice, again? “We are in the same fucking car, you could have told me.” He still read the email, grumbling. Leon was such a jerk. There are times, well quite often, if Don had to be honest, he wanted to make Leo choke again on his cock to shut up. 

“Well, you did send them to me daily even if we are in the same house,” Leo quipped back. Don rolled his eyes, refusing to admit that Leonardo had a point. Anyway, he didn’t have one, since a car and a house weren’t the same.

“Whatever,” he muttered. He won’t have another email fight. It was so trivial. Why was Leonardo so confronting lately? Don was spoiling him as a doting big brother, even if they have only a two weeks gap difference. Maybe it was that: he had spoiled him rotten, much more than Mikey and Raph, and Leo had turned more greedy and took Don’s generosity and brotherly love for granted.

“Raph! Put some music on!” Mikey whined as if he could read Donnie’s mind. “This argument is getting old!”

Obediently, Raph turned the radio on, but Mikey wasn’t satisfied. 

“No, no, let's ask Google. Okay Google, play “Lone Digger” by Caravan Palace.”

At the same moment, while the music filled the car as did Mikey’s voice, he was still reading the email, but Don got his phone knocked down by two feet.

“This damn car wasn't made for my 54 inches legs,” Leonardo complained. The red slider turtle had decided he would settle the issue by using Don’s laps, making himself comfortable “I’m stuck behind Raph’s seat.”

Donatello wasn’t sure if he should ignore Leo or shove away his feet. He decided it would be less troublesome to ignore it. Leonardo was such a narcissistic bastard, always boasting about those fine legs of his. Well, it was true, his legs were long and alluring, but many models have similar ones. It was more common than a genius brain.

“If you aren’t happy with it, buy your own car,” Donatello said carelessly. In fact, they have a second car, but it was exactly the same, but in a dark grey color. It was unofficially Leo’s, since it was the car he used on his solo mission, but Don was making sure Leo knew that both were HIS, since he paid them. “For you to be satisfied, we should carry you on a litter like Cleopatra,” he sneered.

“It wouldn’t be that bad, to be carried by those muscular men,” Leo mocked. “I have a good idea of the kind of milky bath I want afterward,” he exclaimed, the innuendo so transparent even Raph must have got it!

Don didn’t reply at the provocation and finished reading the email, dismissing Leo’s feet that kept moving on his laps, brushing his groin. Leon never made it a mystery of his bisexuality, but Don was starting to believe he leaned more on one side after such a shameless comment. But pondering about Leonardo’s sexual life was a big no.

“Your plan isn’t that bad,” he admitted, after having finished reading. When he was planning his missions, Leonardo's imagination ran wild and could lead to a very unexpected scenario. But even the weirdest idea had always ended up working out at the end. Don had just abdicated trying to understand. But this one...it was taking the damn cake. “But are you sure Michael got any chance to win this wet t-shirt contest?” He raised a dubious eyebrow. “I mean...He is kind of cute, I agree, but he lacks some breasts and men judging in this kind of contest are usually breast enthusiasts.”

“Boobs are so “been there, done that”, got the t-shirt, you know?”Leo had a snicker. “Mikey has something much more interesting to offer, I guarantee you!”

“How do you know?” was what Don wanted to ask, but he bit his tongue. Leo’s feet on him was getting intolerable, and he straightened on his seat.

“Okay Google, play “I took a pill on Ibiza!” Mikey yelled, super hyped by the prospect of his first serious mission. Giving orders to Google was making Mikey feel powerful. He had asked Don to change the settings to call it Alfred instead, to feel like a little Bruce Wayne. He was about to be used as a lure for some lolicon, and it wasn't troubling him at all, confident that Leo’s plans never failed. Don rolled his eyes. 

“Wait, wait it’s my turn!” Leo was getting excited, his feet moving, grazing Don’s sensitive lower part. “Okay, Google, play “Cocaine” by Eric Clapton.”

His whole body stiff, very aware it was a shade thrown at him, Don snapped his head toward Leonardo. The bastards were really spying on him, but how? Probably Mikey did his pocket last month, and Leo did the math. It wasn’t that hard, but it was still humiliating as fuck. It was a burning proof Don wasn’t perfect nor in control as he wanted himself to be.

They glared for a moment, but to be caught in a state of weakness or being wrong wasn’t Donatello. He had worked too hard on himself and his image for that.

“Would you drop it,” he spat icily as if Leo was delusional. “I say Raph will choose the next song.”

At this, none of them uttered another word. Raph loved music, and to indulge him was for each of them a pleasure.

Raph started to hum a song with this beautiful crooner voice of his and Don, recognized it, and asked Google to put “Duke of Earl”. Raph wasn’t good at remembering song titles, only the melody of the song he wanted to listen to.

It wasn’t long that Raphael was singing, and both Leo and Mikey were doing the vocals behind Raph, and it was so beautiful that the whole day of teasing was forgotten in Don’s mind. He felt between them complicity, an understanding that made him feel like they were real blood brothers and a family.

It was a magnificent three minutes, and Don was too happy to let the next song play for the moment to last, again and again. But it was a song with lyrics about a “Runaround Sue” that was sleeping with every guy in town. It filled Donnie with bitterness and ruined the moment.

Thankfully, they had now arrived at their destination, and Mikey cheered, but Don realized he hadn't told them about his new idea yet. He told Mikey to shut up and listen. Since Mikey was an important part of Leo’s plan and Donnie didn’t want to bear with Leonardo’s bitchy comments, he would have to be the one holding the camera, as well as communication with the watchers, at least for the first part. Anyway, as he already promised himself that he won’t record footage of his brothers playing slut, even if it was part of a scheme. He explained to them his new ideas, and a heavy silence followed it. Don could swear he heard crickets in the background.

“We got more than one hundred watchers already,” he protested. “Money will pile up fast and…” He couldn’t say Leonardo wouldn’t need to bed his clients anymore. They were no reason Donatello would display he cared that much for this motherfucker. “You will get two free evenings a week!” he added, suddenly inspired. “This is the deal: if tonight is a success, you will get Wednesday off after the closing hour of our shop. Give me three hundred more watchers in two weeks, and I will add the Sunday!”

Mikey and Leo shared an exuberant look. They were so eager to have free days, Don wondered with a little contempt. They were such lazy-asses. Leo landed a hand on Raph’s shoulder from behind his driver seat.

“And you big bro, would you be happy to have some days off?” he exclaimed keenly.

Raph nodded, a big grin splitting his face, and Don’s chest tightened a moment. Raphael was always very genuine in expressing his feelings. It wasn’t a game he played to give Donnie a guilt trip. Were they so unhappy to work? But he would ponder over it later. It was time to get to work. In the rear mirror, he could see Mikey was putting on some lipstick. 

**  
  
  
  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> October 7: I cut my chapter in two because it was too long and the beta isn't done on the other part. So here the first part. I will post tonight the second part! Stay tuned!  
> Art by limonganss.
> 
> I wanted to give a break to my collaborator Wei. She is working very hard right now with school assignment and I didn't want to pressure her by drawing for me every week :)

_When Leo forced Don to watch how a good employee he was_

* * *

They were parked across “The Lair”; a cheap bar next to a seedy motel in the South Bronx. They could hear the heavy 90’s alternative music from the car.

“So, here’s the plan,” Leo started to explain, and finally, he removed his feet. Oddly, Don felt a weird feeling of emptiness, but he drowned it away. The high from the cocaine had faded long ago and it had some downside, he supposed. For once, he felt almost tempted to take some more. He still has the rest of the eight-ball April sold him in his pocket. She always gave him too much, but Don didn’t mind. Sometimes, he bought some he doesn’t even use. He loved the feeling of wealthiness and control to flush the leftover cocaine in the toilet. He loved to see the powder bag disappear in the drain. To flush the leftover of what was an expensive addiction showed he had so much money and so much control over himself, he could allow it. It was another kind of trip, much more thrilling than snorting coke. For two rails of coke in his body, he could waste the quantity of 40 lines by month, just to get this thrill. 

But he was in a car with his brothers, and he was supposed to focus on Leo’s plan. Besides, taking more would mean he needed some emotional crutch to deal with reality, and he didn’t.

“Mikey goes in there and does his innocent act, cute girls have a soft spot for badass guys,” Leo spoke a little louder than necessary to be sure to have their attention. “This place is shady, and they would have no trouble letting a mutant in, they wouldn’t even bother to ask for ID. As you explained to me in the email that you were considerate enough to send me,” Leo sneered for Don’s benefit, “These people are well known to visit this place thrice a week. They would play pool and get wasted on beer. They seem like the kind of scumbags to not miss a wet t-shirt contest, not even for Mother’s Day. The prize tonight is a Magnum Champagne bottle and a night stay in a love suite from the motel next to the bar.” 

For a heartbeat, they locked eyes, but Don’s face was supposed to show no emotion, and so, there was no hint he got a little hard from only hearing the word “Champagne”. 

“The night at the motel had been offered by a mysterious patron, which is us. I already made the reservation with a fake name and all that jazz, and I have the key. The Love Suite is the last one to the right when you park behind the motel. There’s a big heart on the door. You can’t miss it. I also bought three other Magnum bottles that are already in an ice bucket. In case they are not into bubbles, I bought some low-quality rum and vodka.” 

Don frowned, it was a lot of expense, but he knew better than to voice his doubt and be called a stingy ass by Leonardo again. 

“So Mikey would lure them into the motel very easily, fake being a virgin with a gang-bang fantasy,” Leo continued. “The prospect with a free place to bang and free booze would attract them like flies to honey. Before that, he would make them talk to know who’s the one that should be punished.” 

“But I’m not faking! I do have a gang bang fetish!”Mikey protested. “Humans are all one-pump chump! And it’s not like they’re packing, either!” Mikey pouted. “What can I say, it’s hard to get a satisfying dicking! I need a big cock.”

Behind the steering wheel, Raph fidgeted a little, while Leo shrugged.

“I guess it would make your acting even better. Besides, I totally agree with you, bro: human sex is overrated, but it’s still better than your right hand or paid service,” he snickered, hitting Don’s dead center.

“Well, if money could get me big, juicy cocks, I won’t mind paying,” Mikey chirped back. “You’re so lucky, Leon: all this money, Don's missions, and sex are all handed to you on a silver platter. It’s not fair, Donnie; to playing favorites!” he accused Don.

“For God’s sake, would you shut up!”Don muttered, running down a hand in his face, trying to hide how his left eye was twitching. Why were they so much maintenance? “Raph is right here,” he exclaimed, motioning toward the driver. Raphael was a pure soul to protect. It was Don’s only remaining brother that wasn’t a shameless hoe. Sometimes, Donnie almost envied Raph for not understanding how much of a lost cause Mikey and Leo were. But at least, Leo still stayed on the innuendo level most of the time, when Mikey was talking out loud about how he longed to get plowed. When did Mikey’s first time happen? Was it when they got assaulted? Leo and Mikey had refused to tell what had happened that night. But somewhere, Mikey had stopped to be traumatized about it, and Don supposed Leo wasn’t a stranger to the change. “Have you no decency? I’m your damn older brother! It’s disturbing!”

“It’s easy to look like you’re above all this Don, you’re a top, and I bet any hole will do it for you if it cost you the same price,” Mikey started, and Donatello flushed in embarrassment and anger to have his sex life talked about in front of the whole family, in a damn car. “But…”

“Can we go back to my plan?” Leo interrupted, his voice clipped. Mikey immediately took a desolate expression like a five-year-old that got scolded by his mommy, and for once, Don felt grateful toward Leo. 

“Because Donnie decided to do streaming,” Leo hissed, still angry about those changes, obviously. “I have to make some last-minute changes to my initial plan. So’ Mikey’ you go first. You have to spot which ones of our targets have a weapon. When it’s done, you call me, pretending that you have a very good friend who likes to party. Meanwhile, Don and Raph stay there. There’s a bug already planted in the room for you, to know more about what is happening.” Leo stretched to turn on the listening device fixed in the Mercedes dash. For now, there was only white noise. “But then, here is the change: at some point in time, after we drank down this Champagne, I will call you, Donnie, for you to join our party.” Leo stared at him seriously, his face very close, and Don was overflowed by a feeling so sudden, it took him by surprise. He was used to bracing himself against Leonardo’s teasing. But when Leo dropped his flirtatious self to turn all business, his black eyes shining with intelligence and thoughtfulness, his real beauty showed up and it was something Donatello was less used to fight against. 

“I will find a reason for you to have your laptop,” Leo continued while returning to sit on the back seat, thank God, totally unaware of the very short-lived moment of weakness Don had found himself in. “You could do your shit till then. Raph will stay in the car. We will call him as our last resort. Mikey and I can easily deal with them by ourselves after we get rid of any gun.”

“Admitting everything follows the course you planned,” Donatello still doubted about the wet-shirt contest. “I don’t think keeping Raph in the car until the last minute is a good idea. You can vouch for him, Micheal is still in training!”

“Stop talking like he's just a newbie at a fast food joint that can’t tell apart the beef and the tofu,” Leo protested sharply. “I checked this so-called training of his just fine.” Don couldn’t help but roll his eyes but managed to bite his tongue. Still, the point: Leo trained him, but Leo’s job was mostly to shake his ass and bait morons lately. Also, Leonardo was spoiling Mikey too much during drills and morning sparring sessions. So it was more likely that Mikey only knew how to suck a dick, another cursed image for Donatello, but to another level.

“Besides, I will be there, and even if you didn't see me in action for a while, I can do as much damage as Raph!” Leo exclaimed.

That was another issue, another grudge Leo held against him. Don was bossing them around but didn’t watch the recordings of the work. Neither did he went with them on missions, and according to Leon, he was half-assing his CEO job. It wasn’t completely true. First, he was busy with his assignment or dealing with clients or accounts. Second, he still watched on fast forward Raph’s ones, to be sure Mikey was doing a decent cameraman job before sending it to the client. To see people beaten as a pulp wasn’t a hobby of his, and Leo’s romantic missions were rarely needed to be recorded, thank God. He didn’t want anyone to have somewhere in a safe a tape of Leo doing his charm routine. But he still remembered the time he had been forced into watching one, two years and a half ago. In fact, about three months after the Champagne incident.

He was sitting in his office, minding his own business and eating his balanced breakfast: a croissant, a black coffee, and his special smoothie he took thrice-a-week: yogurt, mango, banana, avocado, and raspberry, sprayed with spirulina, matcha, and a microdose of psilocybin to keep going, without overthinking everything. He was checking the emails and the accounts and had been surprised to see Leo’s earning $800 higher than expected. Curious, he had opened the client’s email, very eulogistic about Leonardo’s work. Was the extra money a tip? It could be, but the mystery would be unveiled soon enough. 

Leo had barged in his office, probably back from his contract for an hour or two. He was wearing some casual clothes to mow the lawn, Don supposed, but on Leo’s curvy body, it was too indecent: a white, almost transparent crop t-shirt and micro-short. An ad with a flashing arrow “Fuck me” would have been as subtle. Why was he cursed with an indecent brother?

Before Don could move and kick Leo’s ass out, his brother had sat on his desk, his feet on Donnie’s plastron to prevent him from standing up. Leo’s legs could be nice since they were strong down to the feet, and the teasing black stare watching him had pinned him on his chair as the pride that summoned him to look unbothered. 

“I want you to watch this footage,” Leon had insisted with this damn sly grin. “It’s about my last contract. I found a way to collect a little more green. You keep complaining I cost you so much with my gold digger taste.” Only by how Leo was all snicker and teasing, Don should have known better than to stay there and watch the footage. But he did, arms folded, and eyebrows furrowed while on the screen, Leo was making the target scream in pleasure. And to show how unbothered he was, he had forced himself to stare straight at it, with an eyed steel look. 

At the end of the footage, he had told Leo it was disgusting, but Leo had replied it was still better than beating people up. Don couldn’t remember what had happened afterward, because he had been busy struggling very hard to hide how fuming he was. They haven’t spoken for days after that, and this is how email had started to be more frequent between them. 

He never watched any video Leonardo was in, either, afterward. They were already at odds since the Champagne night, but since that day, their relationship was getting worse. It wasn’t something he wished for, and he didn’t know how to fix this, either. Usually, when this matter was eating him up too much, he brushed it aside by telling himself that Leo was a selfish, ungrateful brat. But if there was an opportunity to reconcile with Leo, he would take it.

“I never said you weren’t an excellent martial artist,” Don retorted. It was true, Leo had become as good as Raph when he had started to take his training seriously after Mikey’s and his assault. The only difference was Leo being frailer, so his punches were less critical. But he made up for it by being damn quick. “You are, indubitably. I saw you train enough with Dad and on our first mission as well. But I wonder how those skills will fare as your awareness of your surroundings decrease when you’re drunk and sexed-up?” he stated, with an unexpressive glance to the back seat.

Leo’s face twisted with disapproval to get doubted. The bastard was a proud asshole behind his carefree attitude.

“I can hold my liquor, and I’m always professional,” he spat icily. “Anyway, how can you know? You didn’t see me work for years, and you never have seen me drunk or sexed up.”

The silence stretched for three agonizing, long seconds that Don finally broke.

“Indeed,” he dropped coldly. Could Leo have been so plastered by Champagne, he didn’t remember? Donatello was sure Leo didn’t forget. If anything, his sore hip and swollen tail and his body covered in bites and bruises should have given him a clue. What game was Leo playing? Because Donatello was sure as fuck not wanting to play. “But I’m still set about Raph staying on the bench.”

Leo narrowed his eyes, and Don had a very bad feeling. He knew too well this face Leon was pulling right now. The one he had when he was determined to challenge Don’s authority.

“Listen, in this team, I’m the face man and the tactician. You could boss us from your office and send us orders via text, but on the field, I’m the one calling the shot. You’re the tech guy, so do what you do the best: ignore us and stare at a screen.” Having declared such ungrateful bullshit, Leo leaned to land his hand on Raph’s shoulder, ignoring Donnie, who’s struggling more and more to hold back and stay composed. Leonardo deserved such a spanking. The only thing preventing him from doing so was that first, he vowed to never land a hand on Leo’s ass again, and second, this naughty pervert would probably get off at being spanked. 

“Big bro, the safe word is Wasabi,” Leo said. A safe word was mandatory with Raph. It either meant he had to rush in to hit whoever or to stop. They always used some names of the ramen shop’s condiments that they were sure wouldn’t be accidentally used in a common conversation. “When you hear me, or Mikey saying that word, that means we need your help, and you have to come pronto.”

Don huffed in annoyance to being not included and to be called the tech guy. Leonardo was an epic jerk and if it wasn’t for work-and Don never joked about work-he would wish Leo’s plan failed. 

“Enough chit-chat. Mikey, get in position,” Leo decided.

With a long sigh of relief, Mikey got out of the car. Mikey couldn’t give a fuck about a lot of things, but even he could get annoyed at Leo and Donnie’s fights.

“Aye aye, Captain.”

Donatello fought his impulse to lower the window and give his orders to Michelangelo. He wouldn't be as childish as Leo. They all watched in silence as Mikey bounced to the bar. As Leo had expected, he had no trouble entering the bar. Mutants were second-zone citizens, and no one cared if young ones were getting wasted and banged despite being minors. Well, Mikey wasn’t minor, to begin with. He was about to turn 19 years old. But it was like he hasn’t aged since middle school. It was like since then, his growth had stopped.

The silence was thick, and from the back seat, he could feel Leo prying on him.

Don made a move to pull out his cigarette case again, but the moment his finger came in contact with the cold metal, he dropped his hand. Was he now such a heavy smoker that he needed to have one every time he was feeling a little tense? He needed to talk to fill this heavy silence. It’s moments like this that made him hate that Raph wasn’t a talker. Raphael could talk. He could even make short sentences, but it was mostly at not too anxiety-inducing moments, like when they were sharing a meal at home. He would say sentences like “I want some mashed potato again, please.” or “Mikey is a great cook” and the three of them were in awe every single time like Raph was a baby saying his first word. Don also knew, for a fact, Raph talked and sang to the vegetable he grew on their roof. Donatello had made a garden for him since any manual labor was putting Raph at ease, the pure soul. They used Raph’s vegetables, fruits, and herbs to cook for themselves and the Ramen shop. It was also some pennies saved. But outside of the kitchen, dining room, and garden, Raph wouldn’t utter a word, even less when he was sandwiched, locked in a car, between Don and Leo and cold vibes of tension were pouring out of them.

Before Leo could say something or even worse, figured out Donnie was uneasy, he spoke.

“You do realize that this is not only yours but also the safety of our little brother you jeopardize?” he said, his voice flat while looking at Leo by the rear mirror. “If anything happens, I want you to remember that I…”

“Yeah, yeah, you told me so.” Leo waved a dismissive hand. “Give us a little trust, is that asking too much?”

“I give you plenty of trusts,” Don huffed. “Mikey left the car, right?”To show the conversation was over, he pulled out his laptop and opened it. He had to bait the customer's interest by keeping this server active, but Leo was burning a hole in him, distracting him from this simple task.

He rubbed his temples in irritation. He had an incoming headache. Just around the corner of the street was a drug store. It was the perfect opportunity to get away and have a little smoke break. He had mints in his pocket too. 

“I’m going to the drugstore for a moment.” Raph made a move to ignite the car, but Don stopped him. “I only need some Advil. I’ll l be back in a few minutes.”

“Try Midol,” Leo taunted. “It would help with this PSM of yours.”

“You!” He could swear steam was fuming from his nostril. “Big talk for…”

Donnie didn’t bother to continue his sentence. He carefully put his precious laptop on the seat and got out of the car. Leo didn’t deserve to see him get angry. He stretched his long limb with a sigh of relief. Leo was right, at least for a point. They’re cramped in the car, and if he was at 6’5’’, then he didn't even want to imagine how Raph was feeling at 6’11’’ when he had to sit very straight to leave space for Leo’s insanely long legs. Only Mikey was probably not too bad, but Mikey was so frail and small, he would have been comfy in a Smart. Should he buy a new car? He couldn’t sit in the grey Mercedes since Leo had a contract in it, and the four of them were too uncomfy in one car. And if Raph and Leo were both working, Don had no car. Maybe Tesla?

But Don knew better than staying in the open, musing over trivial things, and he walked with a great stride to the drugstore. 

It was a crisp Autumn night, and it could start raining at any moment. He regretted not having a coat. It was starting to get chilly, but the coat was hiding his tailored suit, and it was a waste.

Don already had a pill container. The Advil was only an excuse to have a smoke and a break from Leo’s obnoxious presence. He walked to the drugstore but instead to step in, he turned the block, confident neither Raph nor Leo would see him.

He swallowed dry two pills, and with almost a trembling hand, Don drew his cigarette case and plucked one out, before pulling out his matching 14K gold lighter. He then used his palm to shield the light from the gusts of wind, before managing to light the cig. With a satisfied huff, he took a very long drag on and released the puff with ease. He stared at the sky, mentally noticing the constellation. It was already almost midnight, and Orion the Hunter was showing, a sure sign Winter was coming. 

He got a shiver and leaned on the brick wall, while he put one of his hands in his pocket, still smoking and stargazing. Why has Leon been such a jerk lately? What was in him? What should Don buy him again for him to shut up? The motherfucker already have everything he could want, and Don had made sure of it. If he had only Leo’s teasing attitude to deal with, it would be only bothersome, but of course, their family dynamic was making it worse. 

When Leo was acting rebellious, Mikey was always following Leo’s lead and bad influence made them double trouble. They tag-teamed to drive him crazy, and both of them have a very wild imagination when it comes to mashing Donnie’s button. They would make Don angry, then lose his cool, and then, Raph would end up more withdrawn and stressed. Leo was older than Mikey and smarter than Raph. He should side with Donnie and help him to give a good example to Mikey. But no, this selfish son of a bitch was far too busy spreading his legs.

Why, why was this getting to him so much? He puffed on his cigarette furiously again. It was evident why. It’s because no one wanted a slut for a brother. It tainted Don's cool image. He took one last, quick drag. He had to get back now, before...

“Is this where the delinquent meeting is?” Leonardo asked, leaning casually on the brick wall next to him, and Don choked on the smoke. “Am l too late?”

“You!” Donatello managed to utter between a coughing fit. He was so ashamed to get red-handed, he wondered if he didn’t want to die on the spot. Now, Leon would never let him live it down, he was sure of it. 

“There, there,” Leo said, comfortingly patting his shell. “I didn’t mean to startle you.” Don wasn’t fooled a bit: he knew Leonardo enough to know the jerk sneak on him on purpose.“I got you some water. I was thirsty, so I went to the drugstore and when I saw you weren’ there, I guessed you weren’t that far. I must have remembered you liked stargazing. It's one of your cute sides.”

Leo put a water bottle in his hand, and with the same gesture, stole the cigarette. 

Before Don could stop him, he was too busy to pour water down his aching throat, Leo took a quick drag on it and puffed a small circle of smoke in Donnie’s face with an ease that showed it wasn’t at his first cigarette.

“I used this bottle to drink, and you smoked on this cigarette. You know it counts as two indirect kisses,” Leo murmured in this velvety voice he used with targets, gazing at him with his bedroom eyes. He waved the cigarette in front of Donnie, mocking. “Do you want to have it back and get a little more of my taste?” He slammed his hand on the brick next to Don, his head leaning on the side, as to study him. Behind his seductive front and teasing manners, Don could perceive the sharpness in Leo’s black look. As Orion, Leo was a hunter, prying on his prey, ready to take advantage of any opening. “Or do you want the real deal before I get drunk and sexed-up?” he whispered, licking his lips, but with a gleam of anger in his eyes.

Leo was still mad about Don’s comment, and it was perfect. The words he spoke reminds him that they were on a mission. He slapped away Leo’s arm.

“Aren’t you ashamed of following me, spying on me and messing with me, when Mikey is right there, dealing with seven bad guys when he’s 5’2’’ tall?” he enumerated icily. “You were the one boasting about being professional!”

“And you, you’re fake as your eyebrows!” Leo hissed, glaring at him. 

Something shifted in the atmosphere, and by how hard they both were panting, riled up and insensitive to the cold, Don knew that somewhere tonight, things had managed to escalate to a point where they would have to settle this by getting physical. He wasn’t proud to let his temper get the best of him to the point of slapping Leo earlier, even if the slap had not been too harsh. But the slap was so, so more acceptable than doing something else that kept flashing in his mind. He sucked in a deep breath and decided to try and kind of apologize. It was hard on his ego, but he was ready to get off his high horse, then Leo would perhaps not rub in his face that he was caught smoking.

“I know we’re the same age, Leo, but you know I decided to take upon me the role of big brother. As so, I want the best for all of you. I know I wasn’t there at the hard time,” Don commenced. When Leo and Mikey got attacked, after months of bullying, Don had been busy at his private school. He was 15 years old, coming home only on weekends, to study for his term exam, trying to get into a good University. Leo could have been a freshman in a public high school, but he had fucked up his exam on purpose, Don had guessed a few months too late. Leo had failed them purposefully to stay one year behind with Mikey as to protect him when he was safe in his dormitory. He wondered if one day he would forgive himself for it. He was still trying to make up for it, six years later. “So, this is why...I don’t want you to smoke,” he sighed. “If you do, Mikey will do it, and then the whole shop would reek of tobacco. I think of your health and your image, Leo. We are mutants, so our public behavior must be spotless."

The flame in Leo's eyes dimmed.

"Your big brother's concern is cute, Donnie, but…"

Before he could continue, his phone rang.

"It's Mikey," he announced before taking the call. He put it on speakerphone, a finger on his lips to signify Don to shut up.

"Hi, Minny, what's up?" Leo asked.

"Oh, Leo it's been forever!" Mikey chuckled and Don was amazed about how good Mikey was at disguising his voice. "It must be...more than seven days, right?"

Leo turned stiffer, his focus on Mikey, and again, Don found something stirring in Leo's seriousness. 

"I met some very good friends! There are even some old acquaintances here.” Don and Leo shared a look. Except for the Hot Soup Ramen Shop clients, they have no acquaintance. Well, Donnie has April, but he was sure his friend and drug dealer were probably busy with her dildo, right now, or some romance novel. Seedy bars weren’t her scene. “You totally have to join us! There's a wet t-shirt contest. Do you think I should try?" Mikey giggled. "I never had Champagne before, and it's the prize."

Mikey continued to chirp about the place, as if they weren't there already, to beckon his buddy to join him. 

"Sure thing. I'm on my way," Leo replied. "I’m very close, actually. See you in five minutes."  
But at the moment he hung up, he cursed with frustration.

"Shit. More than seven days means more than seven guns. We will have to make all of them undress." Noticing Don's gaze on him, Leo smirked. "Not that I mind, but it will take more time, and I wanted to catch some beauty z’s."

"You know that also means Raph has to be closer, to back up Mikey and you,” Don pointed out. “Seven of them with guns are too much.”

"No, we stick to the plan. But you, stay close." In a swift move, he grabbed Don's necktie, pulling him down. "In about thirty minutes, the contest will start. In sixty minutes, we are in the Love Suite. In seventy minutes, I will call you. You will join us. You have to stream the evening, right?"

Mischief shone in the black pearl-like eye.“Don’t worry about me, I’m packed with everything I need.” He pulled out from one pocket some condoms and motioned to one of his hidden blades while Don was livid. "You. Me. Champagne and a bed. It’ll be interesting. Don't you think so?"

Don was pale and then, flustered at the very transparent innuendo. Never before have they been so open about what had occurred between them three years ago. But there was no room for doubt, now: Leon did remember their steamy night. Did he just thought of the word “steamy?” he should use “wrong”, “sinful” or call it straight away “a big mistake, caused by alcohol.” 

Leo flashed a bright smile, very pleased with himself before strolling to the bar, and Don stayed there, shocked under the rain for a moment before suddenly, it clicked in his head. 

Leo had planned to do their contract in a motel room, with booze. Of course, it was a very classical choice for a trap. It wasn’t the issue. But he knew Mikey and Leo’s hedonist tendencies enough to know they would willingly drink a few glasses down with their targets. They were already outrageously flirty sober, and so it was easy to guess that with alcohol in the mix, they would be even more eager to turn shamelessly horny. Donnie remembered how Leo had needed no convincing at all when he had shoved his tongue down Leo’s throat and pushed him down. He shivered, more from the thrill the memory gave him than the cold temperature. Usually, he shut down any image related to this night, but more and more, he failed to do so lately. He ran a hand down his face, cursing. He needed to work more; work was a great way to busy a mind, a winner’s way. To work more without snapping, he would just increase his microdosing or find something else that could turn him into an efficient machine. 

But for now, what was tormenting him is that he would have to get rubbed in his face of what hopeless sluts his brothers were. He would be there because, like an idiot, he had set up this streaming channel while high on cocaine, decided to start it tonight, without talking to Leonardo beforehand and so, was assured Mikey would be available to record. It was rare he took such a reckless, spur of the moment decision. Now, he had to do it by himself and would sit on a cheap motel bed while Mikey and Leo…get fucked? It was so wrong. He didn’t start this business for his two brothers to whore themselves out.

Sometimes, at night alone in his king-size bed, Don had a flash of remorse for having dragged his brother into a life of crime. But then, he remembered how much he hated humans, and usually, the guilt faded away. He remembered the orphanage where Raph was smacked by those people, calling him a little monster. He had grown terrified despite being twice the size of anybody and having those sharp teeth to the point he couldn’t be left alone by his brothers out of the house. He had been lucky; he could tell his classmates disliked him, but he never got openly bullied. But from the moment Mikey and Leo had gotten their beating and who knows what more, Don had rejected humanity. His job as tech-support for dum-dum humans had just nailed the coffin of it. 

But his distaste of humans should not overshadow his love for his brothers. Because he did love them out of brotherly love -every single of them, evenly! They were all the same, and he only got for them the feeling of a concerned older brother. 

Leo was already about to enter the bar, and Don’s focus zeroed on those hips before he disappeared. An unwelcomed wave of jealousy washed over him at the idea his brother would get groped with this erotic body of his. But a very unpleasant feeling of helplessness took him. He did push his brothers toward this line of work, and now he had to watch them play the game he pushed them into. 

He joined Raph in the car. His older brother was staring at him with wide, anxious eyes. He had probably been worried sick to see Leo leave and be left alone. Leon was such a selfish asshole. Scaring Raph to get the pleasure to bust Donnie.

“It’s okay, Raph.” Don shut his eyes one moment. He compelled his face to express nothing, except confidence. “Leo got this,” he said, trying his best not to sound bitter. 


	4. Hypnotized

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter on the same day! I know this chapter is kinda long because it was more work-related, but next would more talk about the dynamic of the four brothers at home and at the Ramen Shop. Art by Calaziike

* * *

Raph was still uneasy. Don could smell it and he pressed the button for the window to open.

“Everything is fine,” he lied, with a widening cold pit in his stomach. But there was no way he stressed Raph further.

Don opened the glove compartment and pulled out a Caramilk. It was Raph’s favorite chocolate bar.

“Eat this,” he said, handing the bar to Raph, who took it eagerly. “You might stay on the bench today, Raph.” He watched with a faint smile as Raph devoured his chocolate. “Are you happy to stay in the car? I will have to join Leo and Mikey soon. Would you be okay on your own? You could listen to music.”

Donatello was jaded and ruthless for a lot of things, but when he was alone with Raph, he tended to turn softer. 

“Music.” Raph nodded with a big grin. “Stay here with music.”

Don smiled back, but in his chest, he felt a stab. Raphael was obviously pleased with the prospect of not breaking any bone today and for a moment, he wondered if it was the reason Leonardo had insisted so much to keep Raph out of it. But he chased the idea away. Leo only wanted to act like the absolute slut he was without freaking out Raphael. He guessed he must be relieved that at least, Leo had this tiny part of self-restraint. Mikey wouldn’t have cared that much. He was so horny all the time, he never censored himself in front of Raph. How could he have raised them so wrong? Well, Mikey was Leo’s responsibility as Raph was his. It showed: Raph behaved, him.

Raphael was done with his chocolate, and Don handed him some wipes and a water bottle. A warm creep into him, remembering Leo’s comment about the indirect kiss and he felt like a hot burn on his lips. But he kicked himself out of it; it was only Leo, being Leo: a tease who loved to mess with him.

Unchained Melody was playing, and Raph was singing in a low voice. It was stirring, but Don has a job to do. He just got an email and checked it. It was from their client, and for a microsecond, Don hoped the guy would call the whole thing off. Then, Don would walk in the bar and kick Leo and Mikey’s asses back at home and tuck them into bed with their teeth brushed. Maybe he should invest some money on a better security system and make another attempt to ground them

Donatello was disappointed. The client had indeed changed his mind, but not in the way Donnie had hoped for a few seconds ago. He wanted the seven targets dead, after having found out new information about his son’s suicide. Don sucked his teeth, annoyed. The guy asked Don what would be the new rate, and for a brief moment, Donnie was tempted to give such a big price, the guy would drop his idea. Killing people was bothersome, but not as much as erasing the evidence. Of course, he had in the compartment glove three pairs of rubber gloves just in case, and he knew Leo had some. Leonardo could have no decency, but he wasn’t sloppy. But considering Mikey’s bedroom, the youngest was. He guessed Mikey would be more than thrilled to be involved so closely into such a mission, but Leo would be maybe pissed at this new last-minute edit. But, leaving witnesses was also a pain, and if they were acquaintances of them, it was making the whole thing much more complicated. Anyway, why was he overthinking it? The whole point of their family business was to get the more money they could. Why hesitate?

Donatello thought a brief moment of what could be a fair price, and he typed his reply with Leo in cc. He guessed Leo would bitch again to get an email, but it wasn’t like Donnie could call him when his brother was sitting with their targets.

He glanced at Raph so happy in his sugar rush, listening to smooth music. Too bad, if they had to go as far as to kill seven people, Raph would have to step in. Breaking necks was less of a mess than stabbing or slicing as Leo does. But Raph could stay blissfully unaware of the change of plan for a few minutes more. Because Raphael was happy and it was an endearing sight. 

He waited about fifteen minutes. Don was about to explain it to Raph when the bar’s entrance door swung open, and a group of loud people got out of there. For once, Leo had been wrong, and all of it was happening faster than expected. It had been about thirty minutes since he was there. Donnie counted them quickly. They were eight, not seven, and he frowned. Why did Leo bring along someone else? Don watched as they walked to the motel, and he felt like his teeth were turning into dust because of how hard he was grinding them when he saw Leo squeezed by the waist by some douchebag.

At the same moment, he could see Mikey’s shell getting slammed into the wall by another guy, obviously too horny to wait in the motel room. With a low growl, Raph pulled on the car handle, ready to go and defend his brothers.

“No, Raph, wait,” Don urged. They were in the open, and now the contract demanded for extra discretion. They have all guns, and the minute they would see Raph rush toward them, they would shoot.

“Baby orange hurt,” Raph said, his eyes full of fear and pain, and Don bit his lips. Raph was so innocent and slow, he has no idea what sex was, and even less could understand that Mikey was probably into rough mating, anyway. A few times in the last year, Don had noticed mark of Mikey’s body, hickey and other bruises one had only by sex. He had tried to get more information, but Mikey had just laughed in his face. He had sent an email to Leonardo to explain the situation, with the date, the position and the color of the marks. He had asked Leo to make Mikey spill the bean and then, give him a talk about how promiscuity was a bad thing and the safe sex practices, since obviously Mikey was at this point and there was no use crying over spilled milk. He never got any reply from Leo. And after that, that jerk of Leonardo pretended he cared for Mikey!   
A few times, he had seen similar marks on Leonardo. They were fewer and lighter than Mikey’s but had known better than showing he cared. If Leo was such a whore, he loved his target/partner was rough, what could he do? Leonardo was supposedly an adult. 

“Baby orange is fine. Baby blue is there.” When Raph was like that, Don had to adapt his speech. “You trust Baby blue, right? I do. Wait until they have entered. We will park our car behind.”

Raph did as was told. With a pounding heart, Don watched them entering the motel. Raph growled again.

Donnie put a comforting hand on Raph’s balled fist. It was almost as big as one of these guys' heads. “Baby Blue will deal with them. I’m going to have to leave to help him. You remember the password, right?”

“Wasabi,” Raph replied obediently. 

“That’s right. You will have to listen to this.” He pointed to the device. “When you hear any of us saying this word, you will have to kick down this door. The one with the heart as Blue said, okay?”

He searched again in the compartment glove to pull some headset that he plugged into the device. He didn’t want Raph to listen to whatever dirty talk Leo and Mikey would do. At the moment he put the headset on his head, they were already talking.

“I knew right away you were a slut and a sissy, from the first day in seven grade,” a voice said, and Don’s heart missed a beat. “I didn’t know you will go as far as cross-dressing, but now you are as a cute bitch as your big brother.”

Don’s nails dug into the fabric of his pants, his heart racing, frozen by teh fact he knew he should act casual before Raph turned full rampage. Now he knew why Leo had brought this guy too and why he had rushed it. This guy was one of Mikey and Leo’s past aggressor, and Donnie bent over to take the gun he had in a case in the passenger seat and pulled it in his jacket, absentmindedly. 

He would so kill the bastard himself, he thought, almost dizzy by his thirst for blood and vengeance. But his gesture had been noticed by Raph, and he felt a need to explain in front of Raph’s troubled stare. Donnie never meddled physically with any of their jobs. The reason was simply that in addition to being repelled by the too strong emotions going along with violence, Don was the less skilled fighter and well, a softshell turtle. He could have a nice built, but he had no brawler instinct. He had never cared as much as his brothers for their father’s lesson. Donatello was busy with his study and then, his job, because they needed his paycheck to survive. Even at the time, Donatello knew he wouldn’t protect his family by his muscles, but by his brain. He did take a few shooting classes with Leo, but it had been more an attempt at bounding time than anything else. Because their relations were so at odds because of this scumbag motherfucker.

“Don’t worry, it’s just in case,” he said for Raphael’s sake. “I don’t plan to get involved.”

He had spent so many nights staring at the ceiling, more than he could count, wishing Leo or Mikey would spill the beans and told him who those guys were. He had so many dreams to find them and destroy their life. He focused back on the conversation, not being impatient as Leo calls him. 

“I also know how to party,” Mikey chirped. “Look at what I got. Premium quality, dude. I assure you. Leo’s boyfriend always got the purest stock.”

Don paled, and his hand reached for his pocket, guessing what Mikey meant. Of course, the eight-ball of cocaine wasn’t there anymore. He had a brief thought about how now his little brothers had proof Donatello wasn’t the pure stone-cold composed man slash model big brother he wanted to be seen as. But he was even more concerned about how the fuck Mikey managed to pick it from his inside pocket? The little shit didn’t even get close to him!

Someone was cheering when someone complained there weren’t enough to have more than one line each. There were some comments about it being a shame Leo has a boyfriend, and Leo giggled, sounding already more than tipsy. 

“He isn’t jealous. His kink is to watch me when I got plowed by another guy. He even loves to stream it!” Leo took a pause, and there were some gulping noises and whimpering, and then Mikey snorting and exclaiming about “Goddamn, it was some good shit.”

A cold pit filled Don’s stomach. He had always tried to be a good role model, and then, he just gave Mikey an opportunity to do hard drugs. That Donnie did cocaine wasn't an issue. Donatello knew how to control himself and well, took it more to feel the lifestyle than anything. He didn’t need it, but Mikey would very likely not have the same self-control. He would fuck up his life and end overdosing in a public toilet. He had to stay calm, damn it. Raph was looking at him. 

“Damn, it’s so hot in here. Why aren’t we getting comfier?” Mikey suggested. Don hears Mikey unzipping his jacket. It was true, these bastards were all armed, and Don remembered part of Leo’s plan. It was hard to stay there and listen to the logical part of his being when his brothers are there, surrounded by bad guys, and with the motherfucker from their past.

“I never got to see a mutant up close,” one of them said. “People said mutants love it rough. Dick or pussy, fucking you wouldn’t make me gay, right? You are more alien than anything.”

Don balled his fists and unconsciously glanced at Raph and meeting his curious green gaze, Don managed to fake a smile.

“Mutants are tight and you can unleash on them with no problem.” Don recognized the voice of the first man. “I fucked this one when he was fourteen or fifteen. His little bro got in trouble and for us to not beat him up, this one gave his ass up. He was already such a whore.”

So this is what had happened, and Don felt like throwing up. Only the fact to know it would be foolishly dangerous prevented him from barging in there. Anyway, he knew his brothers enough. The updated contracts specified everyone must die, and he needed one alive for its streaming show of torture.

They continued to party for about until Leo got an “idea”. He spoke about his boyfriend being a filthy rich kingpin and a pervert. If they indulged Leo’s boyfriend in his kink, let themselves be recorded, and maybe this one would share some of his goodies? He promised their faces would be blurred, and “Not even your mother would recognize you!” Don wondered where Leo was going with this idea until his phone rang.

“Hey, baby, what’s up?”

And then he struck Don that he was supposed to be Leo's boyfriend. A chill ran through his spine. He should have sent Leo on one of his regular contracts or never get this idea of streaming, to begin with. 

“I met some new buddies, very cool guys. How about you come and join us with some Charlie, and we spice this night up?” Leo proposed seductively.

“Why not?” Don replied, his voice clipped. He had suddenly realized the whole situation. He still had some “reserve” in case something happens in the car. He understood he was an alibi, but going there with the cocaine would be a public admission he was using it after years warning them about drugs was evil and a testimony of weakness. Would they believe he really got his high flushing it? Anyway, it wasn’t his brothers’ business. He knew he would not like whatever would happen before the bloodbath. Mikey and Leo were the kinds of guys to drag foreplay before getting at it. But if that meant he could see his brothers’ aggressor getting his punishment, he was willing. Don had too much hoped for it. He even entered in St. Anthony of Padua Church and vowed to pay for some new gold layers on the statue if he got his hand on Mikey’s and Leo’s aggressor. 

Leo told him about where the motel was, and in the background, he could hear Mikey moaning. It was sickening, but they were in too deep for Don to back down.

“I will be there in five or ten minutes,” Don said. He hangs up and shuts down any voice in his head. No thinking; just working, as he typed on his laptop. He had to make some introductions for the people already online on his channel. He summarized the contract and then talked about having a special guest for the amusement of their subscribers. 

Leaving his brothers alone too long wasn’t in his plan, so after seven minutes, Don handed the headset to Raph.

“Don’t focus too much on what is happening. If it is not the password, don’t listen,” Donatello warned. Raph didn’t need to hear how vocal Mikey and Leo could turn when they were shitfaced. For himself, Don would look engrossed on his screen whatsoever, and faking as if nothing happened within a foot from him.

He got down the car with the suitcase containing his laptop and the extra cocaine he had. He had a cruel smirk. They could get high on his money, and Don would make a hundredfold the drug value soon on their asses.

He knocked politely, before telling himself it was stupid to be so formal with targets and pushed open the door. His face twisted in disgust at what he saw. It wasn’t only the sickening excess of pink. Organza veils were hanging everywhere and were more like dust nests than anything. It looked like the set of some cheap porn movie from 1987, decorated by a bunch of drunk Barbie girls from a bachelorette party. The whole place reeked, and a thick patina of nicotine smoke was on the walls and ceiling. Well, if they have to burn the place down, it wouldn’t be a huge loss. 

“Hey, baby! How did you get here so fast? Did you miss me?”

His scowl grew, even more, when he saw Leo spread on the bed, stroked all over by a lousy guy. The bedspread was in some false velvet, probably crusty at someplace with dried semen, and he almost gagged. He wondered if he should return in the car to get some bleach and Febreeze. Leo was holding a plastic Champagne glass, and his eyes were glazy. How much did he drink? Don knew that on all his missions, Leo was always drinking. It was hard to avoid when he had to wine and dine a target. Don wasn’t enough of a hypocrite son of a bitch to call out Leo for that, but still, it worried him. It made him feel other darker feelings as well, remembering how passionate a drunk Leonardo was. 

“This is my friend, Leo’s awesome boyfriend!” Mikey exclaimed, very hyped. “Look how classy a gentleman he is.”

Mikey was on the couch, and Don turned away from seeing what Mikey was doing. But the slurping sound and the two guys having their crotch to the height of Mikey's face were enough clues. On the ground, next to a coffee table with remnants of powder, five guys were sitting, drinking, and laughing at how eager mutant bitches were. How Leo could allow that, Don wondered with rage. It was so wrong and disturbing, and he KNEW both of them were doing it again on purpose to gross him out as the two brats they were. He met the challenging gleam in Leo’s eyes, and he countered with one of his own. It was like Leo forced him into watching this disgraceful display. Don would show Leo he was much stronger than that. He could not show any weakness after having been red-handed by his brothers. 

“This is Garret. We went to middle school together.”

He met eye contact a moment. Leo’s bullshit was working because since they didn’t go to school together, Garret must not even know Leo and Mikey have an older brother, even less another beefcake one, still in the car. Donnie plastered a cold smile on his face. Was he sweating? Yes, he was, and Don knew the heat of the place wasn't natural. Leo had come here to get things ready earlier and had probably turned the heating to the maximum. Indeed three guys had already removed their jacket. But Donnie was determined to keep his jacket on and his gun at reach, to the hell with discretion. But he couldn’t help but admire as clever his brother was.

Barely holding back contempt, Don landed his suitcase on the bedspread. He opened it and snatched the coke bag out of it as it was a bomb about to implode in his face. He tried not to look like he was dying in shame, averting his eyes from Leo by staring at the guy dispassionately. There was a more critical matter, anyway.

“Wow, Leo was telling the truth. So you get off on watching as he said?”

Donatello hated the situation so much, yet he wondered if he could indeed play the boyfriend act and use it as a way to get Leo and Mikey out of there. To the hell with the mission, Leo and Mikey were dishonoring themselves, and he couldn’t stand that he was the reason they were there, playing whores. But there was this guy with a sly smirk. He was totally a college jock, the kind of guy that had life so easy, so he needed to bully people to be entertained. The idea Leo slept with this guy, even to save Mikey’s ass was driving him crazy with rage. He had the weird idea that if he had known, he would have slept with Leonardo before, to be the first. He shook his head, furious with himself again. He should think instead of having asked their father to transfer them from school the first day Mikey came back with a black eye.

“I’m not kink-shaming, dude, don’t make this face,” the guy called Garret said. “You’re free to love a hoe.” 

“Honey, could you pour me some Champagne,” Leo asked him, stretching on the bed as if Garret didn’t just insult him while Don struggled very hard to keep a poker face. The guy deserved so much what was coming at him. Garret had no idea how deadly Leo the hoe was. How was he dumb enough to follow Leo and Mikey, knowing what he did to them and how high was the possibility they try to avenge themselves? He probably supposed eight humans could overpower two horny mutants. They wouldn’t be the first to die for underestimating a mutant.

Garret was already more interested in Mikey who was moaning so loudly, Don would surely have a nightmare from it. Damn, he hoped Raph didn’t realize what was happening or believed Mikey was hurt. It would pay back badly. He also hoped that he didn’t get the dirty talk of these men, watching Michelangelo and making crude comments about his mutant body. He shouldn’t have to listen before flipping his shit. 

“I think you had enough,”Don retorted. He glanced around disdainfully. He wanted to leave, but he had to do this stupid streaming thing. “Stand up, I bet there’s bed bugs. Don’t bring them home.”

He always forgot how fast Leo could be. 

Leonardo snatched his tie, forcing Don to bend down, and he crushed his lips on his. Donatello’s mind turned blank, feeling like he was tossed back in time three years ago. Leo’s lips had the same addictive taste as last time, despite the Champagne being cheaper. He couldn’t get enough of his taste. 

His first thought was how damn good it felt, followed by him having to stop because it was so wrong. But Leo had a vice grip on his tie, and he was also supposed to play Leo’s lover since it was his excuse to be there with a laptop. He had no choice, a part of himself decided, indulging in the kiss, swirling his tongue in sync with his brother, running his hand down Leo’s shell. But the other part of him called him weak, something he refused to be.

And of course, to make it worse, Leo was even a better kisser than before. He had so much practice with others, he thought, darkening, and he tried to pull away.

“He is not only a voyeur, but he is also an exhibitionist,” Leo declared, breaking the kiss. A string of saliva was still connecting them, and Leo broke by licking his lips. Don stared at him with wide eyes. Arousal poured from Leo’s every pore, the air around them turned thick, and every breath Don took was filled with pheromone, Leo’s heady musk he could never forget. “Let's give them a good show, baby!” Leo grinned, probably having smelled Don’s arousal.

Don turned stiff as Leo pushed him down on his shell. His damn body was betraying him, and he couldn’t do anything about it. Leo’s eyes zeroed on his jacket, and Don understood Leonardo’s trained eyes had spotted his gun. Maybe Leo could understand that if even Don was armed, the situation was dangerous and that they had no time to fool around. He clung to the hope Leo wouldn’t dare to push further, but of course this shameless guy knew no boundary. 

Leo straddled him and eagerly started to undo his necktie. Donatello had no room to really protest in the weird situation they were in, and he knew he was utterly fucked. For three years straight, he had tried to dismiss the memory of their night. The fact that he was drunk had been a blessing. He could blame the alcohol for his lack of control, and also, it made the memory blurry. But still, he hadn’t been able to repress it fully. Now, he was sober, they were too old to blame hormones and teenage curiosity, and Don knew that if he didn’t stop Leo now, he wouldn't be able to forget it. The memory of it would haunt him forever! How could he live in the same damn household and fake it like it didn’t happen? It was already so damn hard!

Leo finally unbuttoned his shirt and was stroking his plastron, every single touch of his brother feeling as sharp and hot as a heated pin under a nail. His toes were already curling with the sensation. It was pure madness, and he knew Leonardo was still on a very preliminary level. He had to make Leo stop before- god prevent it- he got hard.

He remembered he could glare, it was discreet enough, but Leo, very busy kissing his way to his crotch faked not feeling the heavy glare thrown at him. The eight guys were busy watching Mikey and fucking themselves up, so Don felt as he could say something without blowing their cover.  
  
“Stop it!” he whispered angrily. “There’s no need for that!”

Leo glanced up, busy unzipping with his teeth. It was something so cliché, so hooker-like, also they were in front of a bunch of scumbags and their little brother, so why, why was he getting hard? How could Leo get his motor running so easily?

“You are hard,” Leo stated the obvious. "How about you come out and play already?" He kissed and licked the bulge under the bony plate. “I bet this call girl left you pent up. I would suck you off so good, you will spend all your money on me instead of call-girls!” 

Why, why is Leo bringing that up again? Anyway, he could have retorted Leo was already costing him much more than any call girl annually, with those fancy caprices of his, but he swallowed back any smart comment he was about to make.

"You will taste a new kind of high,” Leonardo boasted, and in other circumstances, Don would have laughed to the cocky bastard face. But now Leo’s word had a hint of reality.

Leo was now pulling Don’s cock out of his pants and, flustered and not wanting to be seen in this state, Don grabbed the pillow and pulled on his face, even if it was dirty. He was sure as fuck not showing a pleasured face. He was forced, he tried to tell himself. It was job-related, and so, it couldn’t be helped. He filled his mind with more white noises that he could. He has to buy a new car, right? He would do that tomorrow with the money. Leo would keep the grey car he had jizzed in, and Raph would get a black one, while he would buy a white Tesla. Mikey deserved nothing for stealing from him, doing drugs, and then acting with even less self-restraint than Leonardo. Yes, Mikey deserved a spanking and be grounded. He never vowed he wouldn't spank Mikey. 

He had to ignore this devilish tongue on his sensitive flesh.

“Slow down,” he muttered from under the pillow. What he meant was “stop,” he wasn’t sure why it wasn’t what escaped his lips.

“Stop hiding from yourself.” Leo pulled the pillow away. He was straddling Don, and Leo’s black eyes shone with erotic promise. Those eyes were crafted by the Devil, that was for sure! Damn, he wouldn't be able to unsee it now! This damn image was printed in his psyche forever, damn you, Leo. “I want you to look at me while you fuck me.” He rubbed himself on Donnie’s groin. “I want to see how good you feel when you breach me. Do you remember how it felt? Do you touch yourself thinking of me?” Leo was so turned on himself, Don could feel him dripping on his thighs. But it wasn’t getting at him, no, it wasn’t!

“I don’t, you arrogant prick!” It was maddening, Leo’s dirty talk was so undoing him, he had to think of poor Raph in the car to not cum right here and there. He didn’t care if it wasn’t good for the boyfriend act they were supposed to play. He guessed it could seem like a lover’s quarrel. “Shut up!”

Leo huffed and decided to resume at his blow-job and Donnie tried to brace himself as if he was a Cristian brought to martyrdom.

“Maybe he is more shy than usual because there are too many people.” Mikey chuckled. “We’ll give you some space! Would some of you like to take a shower with me? I’m so hot. I will show you what a turtle does in water?”

As far as he knew, turtles do nothing more than humans in a shower, but by a quick look at Mikey, he understood. Mikey was hard, trembling with need, and Don knew Mikey enough to get why Mikey was excited and why he was insisting on going to the bathroom. Michelangelo was aroused by the prospect of killing them. Around his neck, he had this nylon string that seemed to be an innocent necklace but could turn into a deadly garrote wire. 

Two of them followed Mikey, and in his mind, Don almost yelled for Mikey to hurry up. Could they actually all die already so that Don can get out of his hell of getting a blow job from his own damn brother? If he did come in Leonardo’s mouth, Leo would never let him live it down. If Don could tolerate being teased about the call girl, the cigarette, and at the limit, the cocaine, he knew he couldn’t look into Leo’s eyes ever again if his brother swallowed his cum. 

The metal barbel inside Leo’s mouth was so impossible to ignore. Don couldn’t tell if it was cold or hot, but it was unbearable, and he trashed on the bed every time Leo grazed his slit with it. If he didn’t know he was the one who changed Leo’s plan at the last minute, he would think the bastard did it on purpose to drive him crazy with his tongue jewel.

Leonardo did a swirling motion with his tongue, and despite all his will to stay stone faced, he had a long shiver. 

“Someone has a sweet spot,” Leo chuckled. "Easy, baby." 

Donnie felt like dying from embarrassment. He wouldn’t be able to get hard for a woman after that. He yelled a string of obscene curse in his mind since he couldn’t yell them aloud.

“Shut up!” he growled. If Leo called him baby again, he would get another slap.

Next to them, there were still six men, but all of them had removed their coats. But the coats were at reach, and if they were drunk, they weren’t shitfaced enough for them to risk something so outnumbered. 

“Stop denying it, you want me,” Leo said huskily. “We both know you do!”

“I don’t want you!” Donatello hissed lowly. “Stop molesting me already!”

They glared at each other for a moment.

“Your friends fell asleep on me!” Mikey whined, opening the bathroom door, just poking his head out of it. “I need some real men!”

Two other guys followed, leaving just only four of them. If some of them needed to piss, they were dead, but Mikey so far was doing a great job. If he apologized with enough sincerity, maybe Don would forgive him for emptying his pocket. But he would still need a spanking. What could be a good lesson for Mikey? He’ll have to find one.

Leo must have felt how hard he tried to zone out of it. He started to suck him as if he wanted to slurp down Donnie’s soul by his slit, and Don bit his lips hard to swallow any sound down. He wouldn’t moan, he wouldn’t ask for more.

Shit, if Leo continued to give him head, he would really cum. Never before had he felt so powerless, except the time they came back home, beaten as pulp.

Cumming meant losing, and he couldn’t afford that. If he did, he had the feeling that everything he had patiently built would fall apart. Leo would have won over him, and then, Leo, who had already an ego as big as Manhattan and was high maintenance as fuck would play as Donnie’s Boss. His brother could be clever and a schemer, but he knew not the single thing about management or saving. They would get bankrupt and end up God knows where.

“So thick.” Leo pulled his tongue, showing the milky fluid on his tongue. “And bitter like you,” he had the nerve to joke when Don was feeling like punching him. “You’re close. I can feel you twitching. Wanna cum in a better place?”

Donatello drooled at the memory and the mental picture. He so wanted to bury himself in a tighter hole. Pornographic images invaded his mind, where he was slamming his loins up to fuck Leo ridding him. It felt so damn good, and Leo was right, he was pent up. He was also too tired to work, to plan, to care, to be worried, and got only trouble for it. He needed an outlet, one that could take everything he had to give without judging him for it.

Leo tried to kiss him again, a little sloppier than before, and Don understood that Leo, in his drunken state, was not in the right mind. Donatello couldn’t; he wouldn't take advantage of his plastered brother. He was the eldest and the responsible one. He has to summon all his will and resist. Falling for Leo slut routine was a big no. He couldn't look at himself afterward. He has to get a fucking grip!

"You're so fucking drunk, Leonardo!" Donnie was usually cursing only in his mind, but Leo was pushing him overboard, ripping him off from his precious self-control. Leo rubbed his ass more against Donnie's hard cock, making him feel how wet he was. He would slide in so easily, reveling in the delicious heat.

Yes, yes, Donnie thought before shaking his head. No.

"You will be ashamed of yourself, tomorrow!" he spat, knowing very well he would be the one ashamed the next day. “Pull yourself together!”

Leo stopped his movement for the moment he was getting ready to ride Don like no tomorrow. Somewhere, his guardian angel took pity on Donnie. He had to light a candle to St Anthony. But Leo’s sudden change had nothing to do with Don’s desperate pleas.

“It’s been a while since you both were alone. I’m sure you can take two cocks at once! Am I right?” Garret chuckled, slapping Leo’s ass. He was back, obviously horny for some mutant flesh. “You’re a mutant monster, but I got fucking a hard-on in my pants every single time I think about the time I fucked you. Show your boyfriend how much of a good bitch you are.” 

Garret was behind Leonardo, pressing against him, obviously having the idea to fuck him right now, sharing him with Donnie. The vision was enough for Donnie to lose his boner. 

“Don’t call him that!” Don couldn’t hold back. Too bad for his image. It was already too damaged today to care. He was feeling raw from all the events of the day. Leonardo has mashed his button the whole day and now this… “He isn’t yours!”

“Big talk for a nerd with such an alien dick with a cuckold fetish,” the guy taunted, probably not realizing after so much time mocking mutants to know how insulting he was. “Are you impotent or something? You’re not even hard!”

“He isn’t.”

Fascinated, Don watched the change in his brother’s features. Leonardo’s eyes were now sharp and hard as two silexes. Before the guy could see it coming, blood sprayed on the bed and Don’s face as he slid his blade across the guy's throat. He stood up quickly and threw this knife and another in the other two while Garret’s body slumped on Don, blood pouring like Niagara Falls from his open wound. He pushed him on the side with disgust, looking down at his D&G grey suit and white shirt splattered with blood with a scowl. An enlarging circle of blood damped the velvety red fabric, and Don stood up quickly, his hand on his gun and another strapped on his pants. Garret was still alive, and while Don couldn’t be a trained mercenary like his brothers, he wasn’t a fool.

The other two weren’t dead yet, and Leo closed the distance to finish them. A long, swift move across a throat, covering Leonardo's green face and neck in a ribbon of ruby-like pearl. A beautiful, vengeful angel of death, Don thought, as jaded as he was about human death. If he was able to paint, it would be worthy enough to be immortalized on canvas.

The last one tried to run, opened the bathroom door, and bumped into a smiling Mikey who was holding his garrote wire. Don turned his head, troubled, despite how cold-hearted he was about target fates. Not too long ago, Mikey was still a child, wanting to play baseball.

On the bed, a gurgling sound was coming from Garret, and he stretched his hand to compel Donnie to help him. A heavy coppery scent filled the room, and Don felt like gagging again. He looked away, meeting his brother’s onyx gaze.

“He has about thirty minutes left to live. Enough time to entertain your watcher,” Leo said casually, whipping his blade clean on the curtain, leaving a blood trail. His face was blank, nothing at all like the lustful creature from earlier. It was true, Leonardo was a professional. It was easier this way, and Don was very professional too. It was work and nothing else. “I’ll let you deal with them. I promised Mikey we would go straight to this 24-hour gelato bar if he was doing well. He did, right? I trained him well.”

“I want to try the stracciatella one,” Mikey explained as if he just didn’t stomp on a hand, nor strangled a few people to death. He was getting dressed, putting back on his girl clothes. “And poor Raph had been so patient, so he deserves to get gelato too!”

“Yes, good job, Michael,” Donatello agreed cautiously. “Even if some points were unnecessary,” he said in a sharper tone. He couldn't be too harsh on him, but Mikey had seen Don and probably felt his struggle with this instinctive perverse nature of him. Donatello could see how much Michelangelo would use this blackmail card in the future. This mission could buy him a brand new car; it was still a fail.

“Give it a rest, you’re the one who had it in his pocket, to begin with,” Leo retorted. “And you’re the one who signed this contract.”

Don’s focus was on Leonardo, even if he faked to not have heard him. Leo was busy splashing his face clean in the bathroom so Donnie couldn’t see his expression. There was something in his voice, something sounding like tiredness. He wasn’t sure what Leo meant, neither.

“I left you Garret because I guessed he would be the easiest for you. Now that you will have him killed, you will overcome your big brother’s trauma, right?”Leo smirked. “What a coincidence he was there, today.”

Don didn’t reply, proceeding. He didn't believe in such a thing as a coincidence. What he knew for sure was that Leo was a crazy talented schemer. But what did Leo mean? He knew nothing about Don’s feelings. Donatello had been very careful to hide them in public, and even, in private, most of the time. He didn’t even cry, he was sure of it. It had been only the running water from the shower.

“Your plan worked.” Donatello locked eyes with his brother, his voice flat. “But some points were unnecessary, too.” He needed to make this point across the sooner he can, for Leo to forget the taste of his flowing precum on his tongue. Damn, he had been so close, but he would carry this secret in his tombstone, even if this smug Leo was positive of it. They both would forget about it. Leo did it for his mission, a last-minute edit at his plan to gather with Don’s presence.

Don would forget; he just needed to jerk off the memory away. It was the fault of this prostitute from earlier. She had left him unsatisfied, and this is why his armor was chipped. 

“I will come to fetch you in one hour or so,” Leo said, neutral. He yawned, but something seemed forced in his demeanor. “I’m too tired to clean up with you! I really need my beauty sleep. What will we not do for a day off?” he added mockingly, recalling Donatello his promise. 

They closed the door, letting Donatello alone with Garret who was holding his throat and uttered some gurgling sound looking like pleas. Donatello has not a violent bone in his body; violence was so sloppy and caveman-like. But today, he could make an exception. With a shaky sigh, Don opened his laptop. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vote!
> 
> Lucrative next chapter poll
> 
> https://twitter.com/caroaimezoe/status/1314253772781228035?s=19


	5. Interlude 1: Leo, Partners in crime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No beta and I don't speak English but I'm running out money to pay for a beta. So I made a poll on Twitter about from which pov you wanted for this chapter. Leonardo won., so here you go

Leonardo awoke with a slight hangover and a hard as steel cock. He opened a lazy eye and stretched in his bed, glancing at his alarm clock. 7:55.

Which day was it? He rubbed his forehead, collecting his thoughts. Flash of pink and purple filled his mind, with the coppery smell of blood and the musky scent of Donnie’s arousal. His tongue remembered the taste of wine and the salty one of Don’s precum and his head spun, feeling sick all over again, but also frustrated to no end. He stirred in his milky white cotton sateen top sheet, indulging in the soft and silky touch until he realized the bedsheet was a little sticky. His dream must have been nice, too bad he only had a blurry memory from it.

Don had bought these bed linens at an eye-watering price because “Frette’s resplendent products have been featured in all kinds of highly desirable places; from the dining car of the Orient Express to the altar at St. Peter’s Basilica, to the beds of over 500 European royal families. Don’t dare to complain!” Well, if it’s good enough for royalty…it was good for them. But Leo was tired to awoke horny as hell and alone in his king-size bed with luxurious bed linens. If anything, it’s only made him crave more company. 

He could fuck and be fucked a few times a week, he still felt touch-deprived. Sex with the target was only a short-lived scratch on his itch. The sex could be steamy and kinky; afterward, he turned cold in a blink, and longing, aching…

This morning, he was even more feeling pent up and itching all over. He rolled on his shell, spread like a starfish, with a scowl for the ceiling. 

It had been so close to make Don’s ice crack, damn it! Leo brushed his lips one moment; he was sure he was right; kisses don’t lie. Donatello had kissed him like Leo was his oxygen cylinder. He was so damn sure that at the moment Don had shut his bedroom door, he had pumped his cock fully erect, thinking of him, Leonardo. Don could deny it as the son of a bitch he was and look at him with this stern brown gaze of his, Leo knew it: Don jerks off, biting his own fist to not groan Leo’s name aloud.

He wasn’t alone to think that; it was also Mikey’s theory.

Leo reached for his own cock, in a natural gesture and started pulling on it. The day before, at the moment Don told him about this stupid channel of his, Leo’s plan was done. It was the opportunity he wanted for three years straight to break Donnie’s walls down. He had been so close to success, close but no cigar. 

Leo shut down his eyes, giving more energetic pull. It had been so exhilarating to see their so mighty self-named Boss fell part and painting his tongue with his precum. Leo groaned lightly, his finger breaching his hole. Fuck, he had been so close to get Donnie’s big cock he craved so much if it wasn’t of those scumbags he had to kill, godammit. 

He still wondered how Donatello dealt with Garret and the bodies. It had taken time, more than usual, and Don had told them to not wait for him, that he would take a cab.

For once, they had been obedient. They were all tired and despite not having got what he wanted, Leo had been glad to be home and had taken a very long shower when he had taken care of his still lingering arousal. Mikey had offered a sleepover. Long story short, Leo had told Mikey he wanted to be alone. He had meant to wait for Don’s return but finally had just passed out. Mikey offered here and there “sleepover” in one of the bedrooms. They would cuddle and kiss, touch each other in a way Don would probably faint in disgust if he knew. It was more comforting than sexual for them, but Donatello couldn’t understand. Donnie could be concerned for them and their image and care for them on a material level, he had no feelings or rather, not strong ones. Donatello could be satisfied, or displeased. He could praise moderately and punish-for their sake. He could reward them with a gift, more often lavish, but given in a way Leo would prefer he spare himself the trouble. 

Leo had no memory of before his adoption, neither of Donatello before that. He must have been a very discreet child. But as far as he could go back in his memory, Donatello had always something better to do than hang with them. It had also been obvious he cared at some point. He had worked very hard to teach Raph to read after doing his own homework. Don was barely eight that he was helping their father with the Ramen shop accounts and saved money to pays the bills their father always forgot to pay. Mikey’s energy tired Don out and bewildered him. This is why Leonardo tried to at least remove this “burden” from Donnie’s shoulder. At the time, Leo was Donnie’s less troublesome brother, who had good grades by himself and didn’t break anything. He was the one that Don didn’t need to look after at all, and well, for a few years, he had been proud to be able to deal for himself and Mikey.

Then, Mikey entered middle school, pranked the wrong people and their life had taken a sharp turn. They have all changed from then, he supposed. Since then, Mikey had turned edgier and more emotional, but it was a face of him only Leo knew. Raph had no idea because Mikey was extra sweet with him. Don, the big coward, didn’t want to scratch behind Mikey’s party guy facade. For Donnie, Mikey was turning bad because of Leo’s slack discipline. 

The day after the event, Don had decided he would teach Leo and Mikey at home and they won’t ever go back to school again, even if they were in May. But Leo had refused the help; he could read a textbook just fine and so Donnie had let Leo be, putting his attention on the other sibling. 

It had not been as easy with Michelangelo. Don had decided Mikey had potential and it must be put to good use. Donatello could be very smart, he wasn’t a good pedagogue. Donnie didn’t get Mikey at all and even less after the assault. The youngest refused to just sit there and listen as Raph was doing even if he didn’t understand. When Leo had passed his ninth grade test from home a month after the incident, Don had agreed to let Leo caring for Mikey’s education and self-taught himself. It was a testimony of trust and Leo had tried very hard to meet Donatello’s expectation about Michelangelo. But if Leo could be a better pedagogue, he wasn’t a therapist and therapist wasn’t something they could afford. So he did his best with what he had: his wit and his bright smile, but it had not been enough.   
  
The incident radius blast got Raphael too. Raph had stopped his speech progress or rather, progress in anything intellectual, period. He could make sentences, read very slowly, and write his name and a few words, it was all. When Don had started to work a few weeks after the event, he had no more time to help Raphael exclusively. Leo had tried to help with him as he did with Mikey, but most of the time, Raphael only clung at him while crying, unavailable to any form of learning. 

How long Raphael cried for Mikey and Leo’s assault without even getting the ramification of it? Six months? Eight? It had made it up for Donnie’s lack of emotional reaction. Because since Leo got gang-raped to spare Mikey from a worse beating, Don had been withdrawn as he was the one having lived a traumatic event. He worked more and more, to buy food but also, some long sleeve, classical shirt for Leonardo. Leo was 16 and not feeling like an old man wearing church clothes, but he didn’t want to upset Donatello by refusing and so let himself be dressed as a doll.

It was also when Don started to develop this obsession they had to look like coming from a lifestyle blog, even if they didn’t have quite the money for it.

Then their father died, and Don had decided that he would be their eldest brother, father, and landlord. And even to make sure they knew Don had absolute authority over them, he started a business to be their Boss. 

At first, the idea seemed weird, but they knew Don was never wrong. The cash had started to rain and for poor mutants that had always struggled to survive, living with food insecurity, they had been very enthusiastic the first year. They were together and rich, so Leo could call himself content until that night. 

Leo could have been drunk, he knew it had happened. He still remembers how carried away he had been, so turned on to see his usual strict brother so horny for him. If it had been anyone else, Leon would have gutted him. The rape had let in him some mental scars, but it was Don and if there was something he was sure at the time is that Don would never hurt him. 

It was such a rare sight to see Don’s cold demeanor flying through the window, his gaze burning, driven by desire. Leo had felt butterflies in his stomach to raise such strong emotion. Was Don into him for a long time and he didn’t know? It was surprising, he always thought of Donatello as asexual. He had always been the brother Don was less concerned about, but it feeds an undiscovered part of him.

Donnie had been so carried away, words spilled out of his mouth, praise, claim, and loving words. Leonardo had felt like he was precious and beautiful and he had made sure Don knew he liked it. The first and last time he had sex, he had been used like he was a circus freak. It had been inconsiderate and rough and also very humiliating. But Don’s bites were a testimony of admiration and a claim and Leo had felt it like an honor. Don has too much aristocratic taste to bite into something disgusting and he only bothers to buy the most high-end quality item. Don also was very strict about his schedule, giving of his time only for worthy things. 

For once, Don’s attention was on him, not on customers or on their bank account. Nor on Raph’s progress, neither Mikey’s shenanigan. Donnie wasn’t busy making their business prosper. He was only busy making him feel good. Mikey was right; a mutant cock was another story entirely. Leo had some clandestine trysts with mutant since then. But Don’s cock was the best, ruthless while he stroked him all over with curious, skilled but soft hands.

The rest of the night had been a haze like Don couldn’t let go of him and somewhere between round seven and eight, Leo had passed out from too much sex and Champagne.

But after such a passionate night, he had woken up sore and alone. Don had turned colder than ice, making sure to build between them a wall and act as if they were into a CEO and employee relationship in a forty-five building. 

Formal emails started from there. 

At first, Leo had thought Don was feeling awkward with reason, but would eventually overcome it. They had sex, Don had initiated it and well, Leo had worn on his body the evidence of their activity for a full week. Leonardo had supposed that maybe Don would feel like apologizing and well, Leo was ready to forgive if that means they could do it again. Because it had felt so damn good.

But Don never apologized, in fact, he never acknowledged it had happened in the first place. But from there too, the gifts were more frequent. Of course, Donnie was generous with them all-except with his time- but as Mikey pointed out, Don was obviously spoiling him in specific. The first time Mikey did the comment, Leo had felt all excited. Indeed, even now, he knew it; if he wanted a gold-plated Jaguar as a car, Don would roll his eyes and said it was too flashy to be of a good taste, but he would give it to him, anyway. 

But after three years of being spoiled with gifts, Leo had to admit; he was done waiting for a curtain call or whatever that could be between them and he was also done with Donnie avoided him, speaking to him through email, because even text message seemed too much intimate.

He wanted Don to look at him with his brown irises as warm as a hot chocolate, as he did once. But the prick averted his eyes the more than he could every single fucking time. Leo had never been into being ignored and now, he was fed up. How far he had to go into provocation?

He tried to focus on his task at hand and pictured some moments of the night before, tugging on his cock and fingering himself. His brother had been so hard. He moaned loudly; holding back all the time wasn’t healthy; sooner or later, Don would have cancer from it.   
  
How would Don face him today, he couldn’t help but wonder. Maybe after he came back home he got an epiphany and had told himself “why not?”

But then, a clipped knock was heard at the door and Leo knew: Don would be his formal, cold, self again. Indeed, Donatello’s voice was all icy politeness.

“Leonardo? Sorry for the late notice, but would you mind joining us downstairs? I planned a meeting this morning,” he said, from behind the door. “Did you see my email? I have sent it to you around 5:00 am if I’m correct.”

“I’m busy right now,” Leo retorted. He rolled his eyes in annoyance. Could he jerk off in damn peace? “Maybe you can enter here and give me a hand,” he proposed, taken by a sudden impulse.

“I ordered a brunch buffet,” Don continued, with his same neutral voice, a sure proof he had got the innuendo. “I made sure all your favorite things are there. There will have blueberries waffle and..”

The thought his brother was there so close pushed Leo to resume his manual activity with more eagerness. He tipped over the edge, spilling on his fist, arching his shell the best he could, making sure he was so vocal, it went straight to Don’s groin.

“And if you feel enough well for that, I ordered some sparkling wine to do Mimosa,” Don continued, unbothered. “Because today I have a very important announcement to make.”

Catching his breath, still in his afterglow, Leo turned attentive. Indeed for Donnie to walk to his door, it must be important.

“Take a shower and join us in the conference room.”

Leonardo waited to hear the step of his brother climbing down the stair before moving, then he stretched to catch his phone on his bedtable.

**_“To: Leonardo_ **  
**_Object: Important meeting._ **

**_Following the last mission, I realized that some new adjustment must be made in our business and in this household to bring them at their maximum potential. During this meeting, I will introduce you to my new vision and we would discuss about how you perceive your role in our organization and family. We will also discuss the new schedule and day off. Dress code: casual. from 8:30 to10:00._ **

Leo sucked his teeth, annoyed, but his curiosity baited despite knowing he should know better. He yawned like a cat and strolled to the bathroom he shared with Mikey. His little brother was already there, brushing his teeth, dressed in a yellow-crop t-shirt and some jogging pants. The kind of clothes making Don frown in distaste, but their Boss had himself to blame. He did say: casual. 

When Mikey met his gaze in the mirror, he spat his toothpaste. 

“Hey bro!” he greeted, before drinking some tap water and spat it again. He wiped his mouth. “So, what’s is about?” The blue eyes flickered down, zeroing on Leo’s cum splattered plastron. He pouted. “You should have called me.”

Leo went straight to the shower. It was crazy as Mikey was always horny, but Leo had no room to judge him. 

“You got enough action last night,” he still replied under the spray of warm water. He already showered about four ago and so, after a quick wipe, he stepped off from the shower. Mikey was glaring at him and Leo sighed. Why Mikey was angry, Leo wasn’t the one Mikey wanted, anyway. “I wasn’t feeling like it.” Anyway, it was true. He glanced at his own reflection critically; his eyes were a little blood-shot by the lack of sleep, but he was looking okay. Thankfully, mutants needed less sleep than humans. He opened the tap to brush his own teeth. “And for your question, the email wasn’t giving any detail except for the hour and the dress code.” Leo rolled his eyes; all these formal emails were getting under his skin. How many times he had voiced aloud he didn’t like them. But still, Donatello keeps sending those to antagonize him, the big jerk. “I’m sure you have more info than me,” he mumbled, his toothbrush in his mouth. Mikey was the best spy ever.

“Well, our big brother Donnie came back home at seven o’clock with some caterer employee,” Mikey said, his eyes shining with hunger. “He was wearing the same clothes and so, didn’t sleep at all, I guess. He was looking very driven. I wonder what had happened in his mind. Do you want to hear my theory?”

They shared a look and Leo shook his head. 

“We will know soon enough. I need to move my ass. You know how pissed he is when we are late.”

To be so behaving wasn’ Leo at all, well not the Leo from the last three years and Mikey studied him. Leo huffed at the examination. 

“You can choose what I will wear for this so important meeting,” Leo snickered. Mikey was always awing in front of his wardrobe. He always says Leo has the closet of a South American dictator wife. Leo wasn’t sure it was a good thing, but Don really was a tyrant. And well, it was true he supposed: it was taking a full room in their cramped house. 

“He did say casual, right?” Mikey faked to ponder about it, but Leo knew him enough to realize it was all pretense. Mikey had his idea, already. “So you totally have to wear a three-piece suit, dude.”

Both had a smirk; crawling under Donatello’s skin was a hobby they shared. 

Leonardo let himself be pampered by Mikey. It was one of the activities that seemed to soothe Mikey’s troubled soul.

“There, he can’t ignore you, bro!”

Leo glanced at his own reflection in the floor to the ceiling mirror he had in his room. It was so kinky to have this mirror, just next to the bed, Mikey always giggles, but Leo knew Don never had such an intention by it. They had chosen his grey three-piece suit with his blue tie from a designer Leo doesn’t even remember the name. Don was so controlling, he had to even put his nose in the wardrobe. Don had a gift to choose clothes that were fitting him perfectly, Le had to give him that. When Mikey had questioned him about why Don bothered so much about Leo’s good look, Donatello had replied it was because looking good was part of Leo’s job and so, it was a way to get back the money he spent.

Donatello had such a way to make them feel like tools. This is why this all brunch-meeting thing, wearing casual clothes was sounding fishy. To be that friendly wasn’t Donatello and in Leo’s mind, it was a red flag. 

“Oh wait, you totally need these diamond and onyx cufflinks he gave you. Oh, and the Cartier watch!” 

Leo put them on with an amused smirk. Even if he knew Don wouldn’t be thrown off by his overly dolled-up appearance at this brunch, to do the opposite of what he had asked was satisfying. A vibration from his pocket kicked him out of his thought and he pulled his cellphone out with a grimace. Of course, it was an email from their big brother slash CEO who was reminding him via email they had a meeting and Leo didn’t confirm his presence.

It was a weird situation to be in. Sometimes, Leo felt so much like choking he wanted to run away. But with the whole mutant situation, without even a high school degree, how to make a living? He could still work for another criminal organization, but Leo trusted no crime lord like he trusted Donatello. He would end up in jail. Besides, who will understand Mikey if he left? Mikey would probably want to follow him Poor Raphael will cry his baby blue and orange for years and this is was something Leo refused; to hurt his more innocent brother. Leo loved his brothers too much to leave them, even Don, the CEO asshole. 

So, there was nothing to do then do as Donnie wanted, damn it, he thought with clenched teeth while climbing down the staircase. He tried to convince himself that if he had been a human, he would have a boss too maybe even worse than Donatello as he pushed open the meeting room door.   
“Meeting room” was maybe an exaggerated name. It was supposed to be their dining room, but they used the ramen shop's table most of the time. The dining room has a sliding room divider with Donnie’s office, making it look like a conference room, indeed. Don had even installed an interactive whiteboard and decored all of it with the cold color and minimalist style he liked so much. It was so impersonal, so business-like, Leo loses his appetite every time he stepped in. This is why he preferred to have a quick snack at the Ramen shop counter.

But today, Don had made an effort. Another long table had been installed against the wall, full of food.

Raph was already there, sitting behind the meeting table, his plate full, chewing happily on bacon. He raised up his head, looking at them with a delighted face.

“Oh my gosh! A chocolate fountain!” Mikey exclaimed, running to it.

Leo stayed still, proceeding. On a Monday morning, to offer so much food wasn’t usual to Don, but it was a sure mean to put Mikey and Raph into high spirits and then, to get their approval for whatever Donnie has planned. Because of course, Don wasn’t acting so family-like except if he had a secret agenda.

He turned his head, to look for the bastard. Donatello was there, at the end of the table, his laptop open, and a smile plastered on his face; a smile that wasn’t reaching his eyes, making Leo tenfold dubious. There was something else off about his brother and Leo’s eye wide opened in shock when he realized what it was: Don had no necktie when he and Mikey always jocked Don must have even in his sleep. Donatello was the more casual he could get; wearing a white shirt and beige pants. He even rolled up his sleeve in an attempt to look more relaxed.

“Can I offer you a cappuccino,” Don asked politely. “Or would you want some of this exquisite Mimosa; it’s made from your favorite Champagne and elderflower syrup. But I can get you orange juice too. There’s no pulp in it, since you dislike them.”

For a moment, Leo had thought that maybe Don had got an epiphany during his sleepless night and had changed. But how Don was speaking to him like from CEO to CEO, he knew it was hopeless. Don could know their taste in food, his consideration stopped to the surface. To kill Garret didn’t heal Donatello at all. He was still emotionless.

“This suit is very nice on you,” Don said. “It enhances your waist. Blue is definitively your color.”

The words had been spoken in the softest voice Don could manage, that’s mean neutral and Don’s very stiff body showed how uneasy he was, but they had eye contact and never Don had made such praise to him since the night they had sex. It was enough of a surprise for Leo to drop in the closest chair. 

Food was shoved on his plate and he got a cup and a glass filled, but he only took a large gulp of the bottle of mineral water on the table. He was feeling dizzy and his heart raced so fast that he wondered if it showed on his features. He blamed his hangover; he should have taken some Advil before climbing down.

The conversation rolled over him; it was mostly Mikey’s shoving food down Raph’s throat and asking him his appreciation. Don was enumerating the menu choices, trying to sound casual, but it was only a bad attempt as his clothes choice. Leo could felt how Don was tense; he could see it in the way he was clutching his mug. But what did he expect after having pushed Don’s limits? Yesterday, he and Mikey rubbed in Don’s face that they knew Donatello wasn’t the flawless machine he wanted to be.

The first time Mikey had tailed Don and then, emptied his pockets, Leo had been bewildered. It wasn’t that he was judgemental, but it had been a shock for them to see some weak spot in the iron Don seemed to be cladded in. To do drugs wasn’t Donatello, but then, they had decided that their brother was so performance-driven, it makes sense, it was still worrying and even more when Mikey took it as an opportunity to do the same, knowing very well Don couldn’t call him off without being a big hypocrite. They should have a conversation about it, but it was hard as hell through email, Donatello’s privileged conversation mode. But if Leo had to be honest, he didn’t push that much to have it, neither. The reason was he had been too furious about the call-girl thing. 

Why did Don, so stingy, was ready to waste money on a prostitute that couldn’t satisfy him as Leo was willing to do, for free? Mikey had told him: it was a one-hour deal and Don was looking as sour when he left the hotel than when he entered. So why Donatello turned him down? Leo boasted about being the one knowing Donatello the best, but the fact was his brother was a frigging mystery to him.

“So, if you don’t mind, I will start the meeting now,” Don said, turning on the whiteboard. “To make it easier to follow, I did a PowerPoint,” he explained and Leo snorted in derision. “I’m sorry, it’s not the more interactive I made, but I was running out of time this morning,” he continued, ignoring Leonardo. “But since some of you don’t like emails, I thought it would be more informal.”

Leo barely hesitated between his mimosa and his cappuccino and he took a long gulp of the sparkling wine. There was not a hint of exhaustion in Don’s body, despite having not slept a blink. His face was smooth and if Leo didn’t know him well, he would have looked very confident. What did he do after they left him? Did he torture Garret for a long time? Did he give Don some thrills, some satisfaction?

“First, I want to congrats all of you for your good job performance of yesterday. We reached a milestone. Yesterday, in a few hours of works, minus Leonardo’s expenses,” he clarified, “We made $107,778.” Don took a pause and awkward, he clapped his hand, as an encouragement for them to do the same. Mikey did and so, Raph, grinning and his mouth full, but Leo knew better and stayed with a jaded face. It was part of Don’s routine to start with praise and gift before starting his scolding. “This is why I wanted to reward you,” he said. “So, let take another moment to congrats ourselves for our business success, but also, Leonardo for his leadership and great planning skills. Without you, Leo, nothing would be possible,” Don exclaimed, holding his mug in a cheering move and Leo narrowed his eyes. Why all this lips-service today? He knew there would be a backlash at some moment.

“Now that you have buttered me up, can we move on,” Leo spat. His tongue was throbbing and he hoped he didn’t have an infection. He couldn’t stand Don “I told you so” face.

“Of course,” Don said, his voice strained at the edge. “This increase in our rates comforted me in my idea that my channel could be an excellent mean for us to twice our earning. This is why I grant you your wishes to having more days off. So, in addition, to have Sunday and Wednesday nights off, I decided the ramen shop would be open only from Tuesday to Friday.”

Donatello thought he gave them a big favor, but the fact was that the ramen shop was a job that no one of them minded except Donatello himself. Mikey and Raph really loved their work and Leo liked his chats with customers. The sense of normality was nice, but Don was the one twisting his face in disgust, thinking this job was unworthy of his brothers. He shared a look with Mikey over the table. Sleeping in was still good to take. 

“For us to be more performant and to allow you a feeling of independence, I also bought myself a new car,” he continued. “Raph will have the black one, Leon will keep the grey.” 

Leo flashed a smile and stretched his long legs under the table. Don was still mad that Leonardo had sex in the car, even if it was more than one year ago. He had been so incensed about it, he didn’t spare a glance to the car every time he stepped in the garage. Would one day Don admit he was jealous, Leo wondered. If Don did, Leo would admit he had felt the same with the call girls. Leo was sleeping with those targets only to crawl under Donnie’s skin and he knew he got at Don, but the motherfucker still acted like it wasn’t, not for these reasons in any case.

“Why I don’t have a car?” Mikey protested. “I did most of the job, yesterday while you were laying on your shell.”

Leo bit his lips hard to keep a poker face even if he was jubilating. You can trust Mikey to poke at the wound. How Don would dismiss the matter, he wondered.

“Indeed,” Don agreed and Leo gasped internally. “I understood Leo had been right about your potential, Micheal. You have deserved a promotion.”

Mikey was already standing up, his eyes blazing with happiness. Despite his behavior, Michelangelo always yearned for Donnie’s approval. It was so damn hard to get, Leo knew it first hand.

“This is also why, in a prospect of better performance, this organization and household would enter into a restructuration.”

Donatello passed to Mikey and him some printed documents. Raph had none, the lucky one.

“Please read this contract carefully. It would explain the changes from now on.”

Leon snatched the document with a bad feeling. He so hated when Don was so formal and he knew Don was sure to be easy going right now. It was the most infuriating. 

“As you can read, only Raph’s mission will be recorded. Mikey has so much acting skill, he would be the one animating the channel. If needed, I will be on place to record, but as you know, the field isn’t my comfort zone. You are all better than me. Leo will continue his contract; it’s a one-man-show. No need for assistance or recording.” A pained smile graced Don’s lips. If it was so bothering him why Don continued to accept those contracts? “May I draw your attention to the change I made to Leonardo’s client contract at the addendum A.”

Leo flipped the pages angrily to the addendum A and turned livid. Leonardo’s renting contract stipulated that if Leonardo had sex with the target, an $8000 penalty would be charged. It was enough for people to think twice. It was like Don put on him a chastity device, but not quite. And of course, the motherfucker would say it was to preserve their business image and not because he was a jealous, possessive bastard. Why could he not be straightforward and admit it already? Did Leo read him wrong? Why everything was so complicated and Leo felt so much like choking and unhappy in his own family?

“The image of our family and our family business is very important to me,” Don continued as he read Leo's mind. “But also your health. This is why I discussed with Raph, as an associate and eldest brother.” Leo and Mikey locked eyes; it was utter bullshit. There was no way Raph and Don had such a conversation; it was more likely Don told Raph he got a good idea and shoved food down Raph’s throat to get him nodding with enthusiasm. “You are our youngest brothers and so, are very precious to us. You are also very promising members of our organization and I know you take pride in our family business and your work enough to understand what I’m about to explain to you." Don took a deep breath. "This is why to maximize your potential, we have decided to ask you to accept to bend at a few new rules” Don had what was supposed to be an engaging smile but Leonardo saw in it a threat. “Can we go to addendum B?”

The addendum B title made Leo livid. “Morality Code of the Hamato Brothers’ corp.”

Of course, they had provoked Don. Mikey by his behavior had literally asked for a retaliation. This is why most of the code was a way to restrain Mikey mostly. Curfew on a free day, daily drugs test, sexual intercourse forbidden on a mission. Both of them had to wear a SCRAM bracelet, to be sure they were never inebriated and Leo would have laughed at Don’s face if he didn't know his brother was dead serious. He gave them free days, but no freedom. This meeting was only for him a way to make his control-freak mania looking kind of legit.

All these new rules when Don himself wasn’t flawless was too much to swallow, already. But what made Mikey flips his shit was the last one. 

For their own sake, Leo and Mikey would be paired for a specific brother even at night and, of course, he had paired Leo with Raph for them to share a room. It was a master move, and even if he was furious, Leonardo couldn’t help to admire Don’s intelligence. It was a sure means to keep Leo at home. It wasn't that Raph was a good watchman. Raphael was falling asleep easily and was a piece of cake to manipulate. But Leo wouldn’t want Raph to deal with Don’s disappointment. Donatello had probably promised him a shitload of sweets if Raph did a great job watching Leo. But it was still better than what waited for poor Mikey; Don would breathe down Mikey's neck, because of course, Donnie was too much a coward to deal with Leonardo.

“Why I'm the one having to be with you!” Mikey shouted, eyes flashing with anger. “Why I’m the one going through military training when Leo would be with Raph just cozy? Because last time I checked you got along just well, sharing a bed!”

Don didn’t even lose his cool to the jab. 

“I’m the one taking the decisions here,” he replied flatly. “You need a firmer discipline than Leonardo. Raph couldn’t give you what you need!”

It was the worst thing to say to Michelangelo, but Donatello never got Mikey, even if he pretended to care.

“Just fucking get laid already to stop being a bitch!” Mikey bellowed before storming out of the meeting room and Raph uttered a pained sound. He hated fight and scream, always scared to get smacked as if he wasn't able to kill them with a single punch.

Don’s brown eyes flickered to his and Leo took a last swing of his mimosa. It was too bitter for a Monday morning.

“I hate you,” Leo said quietly, before standing up to join Michelangelo. Don had no idea, but he just attracted to him a lot of troubles.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 5 seen by Don
> 
> Okay, so I had incredible arts at the same time and decided to post all of them in this chapter for a week to be sure all my readers saw them. Then, I would probably move them to the related chapters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No beta. I'm not English speaker.

_Garret's end or how Don ruined his shirt by Lei._

“Donnie?”April narrowed her eyes, unsure. “It’s that you?” She ran a hand in her curly hair, yawning, and leaned against the doorframe. “What are you doing at my door at frigging 4:00 am? Are you already running out of...”

“No, I’m not here for anything you sell,” he stated, solemn. He was serious. Too bad for the successful business lifestyle. 

Don took a bold step forward to enter and before April could protest he raised his hand and shut quietly the door behind him. He knew it was very impolite to barge into April’s in the middle of the night, but her place was close to the motel he just burnt to the ground and he needed a break to pull himself together. It wasn’t that he was weak, but the recent events would have troubled anyone. 

“I killed a man,” he announced. He needed to get dramatic right on the bat for April to not kick him out. April stared at him, not totally awake yet. “See this crimson splatter on my sleeve and my collar?” He pointed out some tiny red droplets. “This is the blood of this bastard. I ruined my shirt for him.”

“Okay.”April blinked once. “Let's sit a moment. Anyway, it’s not like I can sleep anymore,” she added with heavy sarcasm. “Not after your dress shirt got harmed.”

April was Donatello’s dearest friend or rather, friend, period. He met her in sixth grade in his private school. They get along very quickly, despite Don’s natural mistrust toward humans. But April was different, she was truly asocial -Leo would say sociopath- and he followed her to her kitchen.

Their path could have departed when high school was over because she was going to College while he couldn’t, but they stayed in contact. She had her own issues: wealthy but neglectful parents that decided three years ago to stop paying for her studies because she was a disappointment, according to them. Sometimes, Don wondered if she didn’t befriend a mutant to piss them off. She wanted to continue her degree in chemistry, so to pay for her studies, she became a drug dealer. Even so, she struggled to make a living. To get customers, you have to hang around people and it was too much to ask April. She sat to intend her classes and that’s all.

Don had offered to give her a loan, but she had turned him down. Since then, he had convinced himself he bought cocaine mostly to encourage April’s business. But now, after this clusterfuck of night, he wouldn’t ever again buy her any stuff. It had been too humiliating to get red-handed, and also, disturbing seeing Mikey doing the same. To be a bad example for his youngest brother was against everything he ever wanted.

“Do you want some coffee?” she asked after a second yawn. She didn't wait for an answer and opened a cabinet, reaching the coffee pot. “You seem too pumped on adrenaline to sleep anyway.”

“Yes, please.” Donatello dropped in the chair with a sigh. He glared at his shirt sleeve with a scowl. Maybe it wasn’t too late to save it. “Do you have any Tides to go pen?"

"Nope." She started the coffee machine and turned toward him, arm folded. "So, what it is about? You killed a man and are upset about it? Why did he do? Scratched your BMW? Buy the last purple necktie?" she mocked. 

April was like his brothers, taking nothing seriously. Why was he cursed to be the only sensible person?

"First, I never got a BMW. Second, I’m not upset about it." He gazed at her smugly or well, tried so. "In fact, I just got myself a new car with that, so don't bother to remember the last one’s brand. Anyway, it wasn't job-related. Even for free, I would have killed him."

Thinking about Garret again, he felt like choking the shit out of him again. He drowns himself in the thought, how he had achieved him. It was a much more relaxing image than the one that keeps flashing in his mind. The memory of Leonardo getting down on him had haunted him the whole agony of Garret. It had made him distracted and sloppy, hence the blood splatters. 

How could he act as nothing had happened after that? He was sure as fuck Leo wouldn’t let him live it down. The motherfucker would tease him restlessly, thinking it was highly entertaining. Then, Leon and Mikey would taunt him like playing ping pong. 

Don couldn’t even make Leo shut up by taking his offer. He knew the bastard was kinda genuine. Leon wouldn't mind having sex with him. Donatello or the milkman, they were all the same. But Don felt it in the core: it would wreck everything. But how to get out of this situation after having been exposed like that?

This is what had led him to April, to get something sounding like advice. Was he really? He couldn’t believe he was there for a piece of advice. He was a frigging genius. He should settle this by himself. But April wasn't anybody neither. She was a Columbia graduate and also a girl that was never thrown off, whatever the situation was. Leonardo and Mikey disapproved of his friendship with her, telling him she was a sheer lunatic and a crack whore. All of their arguments were based on the fact she liked to take pictures of roadkill carrion and collecting skulls. Also, they said you couldn't trust a lady who wore men's briefs and had a baseball bat in her car trunk. It was rich coming from Mikey who loved cross-dressing and Leo taking care of his good look as he was frigging Elizabeth Taylor refusing to age. Besides, April wasn’t doing crack and even more, she was a virgin, to her utter annoyance, whatever she said and how she wasn’t able to stand people. But the fact was Mikey and Leo were spouting nonsense.

They were only jealous to have no friends.

April nodded. 

"Must be a very shitty guy for you to get so riled-up. I never saw you like that, neither imagined you getting off on murder," she said dreamily.

Don sighed with ease. April was very easy to talk to. She was a little too crude for a girl, but so no judgemental. She could get confessed a murder without flinching. Her biggest flaw was probably her clothes choice. They were either plain or vulgar. She had refused his offer to shop with her and any fashion tips. She said she wasn’t a living doll he could dress as he wanted as his brothers at home. So Donnie let her be because to see her staying so true to herself was making him getting more honest when he was with her.

"I didn't get off, as you put it." Gore wasn’t what had given him a boner. Again, the shining black eyes watching him greedily from between his pants came to him. Ugh, no. He can’t explain that to April. "Do you have something strong to cool down the coffee? Amaretto? Tia Maria? Baileys? Amarula? Grand Marnier?" 

April continued to shock her head and Don dropped it. 

"Nevermind."

He can't start drinking in addition to his current trouble. He had to pull himself together.

“Can I smoke?” He pulled out his cigarette gold case and stretched it for April to pluck one, but she refused. He didn’t wait for an answer and lite it up. At least here he wouldn’t get busted by Leon. A chill ran through his spine, thinking back of what had occurred behind the drugstore. Ugh, he had to erase this memory, as what had happened on the motel bed, afterward.

_Don's flashback of the drugstore by HeiSuiii_

But the damn memory refused to drift away and he couldn’t dismiss the tantalizing black gaze watching him as Leo blew the smoke in his face. Just thinking back of it, such a general audience moment, was making his body react. Every time Leonardo was there, the sexual tension was turning so tangible, that the mere gesture was giving him a boner he had to fight. It was exhausting. 

Damn, he needed to nut before going nut, he thought feeling the uncomfortable bulge pushing on the bony plate of his plastron. He couldn’t come home with a half-hard cock and feeling still too vulnerable to Leonardo’s indecent charm. It was this asshole’s fault; Leo had mashed his button all day and had teased him in a maddening way.

He stood up abruptly, his decision taken, crushing the barely smoked cigarette in the ashtray April just put down.

“Can I borrow your bathroom?”

“Yeah.” April had a knowing smirk. “Just don’t do a mess. I hate cleaning.”

Don quickly walked to the bathroom, ashamed to be so transparent, but also not giving a flying fuck about what April could think. She was even a more social outcast than himself and so, had no room to judge him. He pulled out his cock, the head already moist with precum. He started tugging on it almost angrily. He tried to focus on an unknown women’s body, but only images featuring his brother in blue came to his mind. Like when this cheeky bastard showed him his pierced tongue, coated with his precum. At the moment the mental image showed in Donnie’s mind, his dick turned titanium hard to the point it was painful.

_Don's flashback of the blowjob by Neat Tea_

Don decided to the hell about it. As far as he knew, Leon could be a sneaky son of a bitch, he couldn’t read minds yet and so, would never know Don busted a nut to him. It would be his shameful secret. 

He made shut up in his mind Leo’s mocking voice asking Donnie if he touched himself thinking of him. Leonardo couldn’t know, Donatello was making sure to never show any desire on his face.

A forbidden memory of the Champagne night bubbled out; Leon circling his shell, tongue down his throat, riding him like no tomorrow and Don squeezed his cock as tight as Leo’s core felt. He bit in his wrist to be sure to not let a sound out as his orgasm hit him like a train.

He stayed jello-boned a full minute before remembering April was waiting in the kitchen, probably snickering. He wiped himself, tucked his flaccid dick in his plastron, and splashed his face with cold water. Gazing at his own reflection in the mirror, he waited for his face to return into the jaded mask he wore most of the time. When he was satisfied with his image and his heart had returned to a steady beating, he stepped out of the bathroom.

“This guy’s slaughter sure made you lively,” April sneered. She finally got herself a cigarette from Donnie’s case. “I’m still waiting for the story, by the way. I hope it’s not some boring crap about your business.” 

Don never understood why but April has reservations about his company. As if running a criminal lab as she planned to do was any better.

“He wasn’t included in our contract. “ Don sat to the table, glad that besides an amused gleam into April’s eyes, she didn’t make fun of him to have jerked off in her bathroom. “It was two birds with one stone, he was a witness we have to get rid of because you know, I got some idea that put us at the top of…” Don started to explain, eager to stay on the job topic, the only thing he felt he had control over, currently.

“Can you spill the beans already?” April slammed the mug. “It’s frigging 4:00 am, go to the main program! I’m sure you didn’t wake me up to boast about your car or how of a big shot criminal you had become!”

He sighed again but started to tell the story. He began by who was Garret and what had happened.

"Interesting," April nodded again, but her tone was telling another story. "So, this whole shady business of yours is to heal your trauma. You wanted to avenge your brothers and to get it by proxy, you used your customers. And now, you question the value of it?"

"What? No!” Don exclaimed. As if after having worked so hard, he would stop when he was very close to get an underworld Empire. “Our business is going great, thank you and I have no intention to drop it! It had nothing to do with Leon and Mikey's assault."

"Okay, if you say so." April shrugged. "Then, what's your issue today to come crying at my door at fucking 4:00 am?” She grinned, obviously having a hypothesis. “You hoped to get some thrill ending this asshole and finally discovered vengeance is an overrated concept only good to sell books?"She snorted. "I wonder if your clients think like you after you are done with their job. I always thought it was even more meaningless done by someone else"

"I’m not crying," Don denied, offended. "Did you ever saw me crying?” he huffed. He was sure how troubled he was didn’t show on his face. April was only fishing. “And stop being salty about the fact I do tenfold the money you will do without any degree," he exclaimed.

But he did come here to get at least a neutral opinion about his situation and so, he had to stop letting her guessing. It would spare him time. He didn’t like a bit leaving his bros alone. He couldn’t count on Raph to watch on them if he didn’t give him a direct order. Raphael was likely to be in bed, hugging his teddy bear their dad gave him as a welcome gift almost two decades ago. Leo and Mikey were likely to finish together what they started at the hotel; Mikey didn’t get off with the targets and Leo didn’t cum with him, neither because they got interrupted. STOP THINKING ABOUT IT, DONATELLO!

April was studying him and Don sucked in a deep breath to look composed.

“I won’t have started this business if I have reservations about murder. I’m not myself aggressive, but…” Don frowned. “Why are you giggling?”

“I think you aren’t aggressive, not because you genuinely peaceful, as you shut down any emotion,” she explained, smirking. “I’m pretty sure that if you left yourself go, you can turn a serial killer in a blink. Getting against the law isn’t scaring you, you’re enough smart to get out of without too much damage,” she snickered. “But oh, you are so afraid of what could happen if you let slip an emotion out and I guess slicing a throat in a strong one! You were sitting on his back, right?” Her eyes shone and Don thought that she had eyes the same color as Leo. Maybe if he fucked April he would forget about Leo? She always complained she has no sex life and it was evident she was the kind of girl not minding if his partner was rough on her. “I can tell by the shape and position of the splatters,” she continued. “You were holding his chin from behind.”

Indeed, it’s what had happened. He had still some progress to do to become an imaginative killer. Mikey should be the one in charge of streaming. This is a responsibility he would love to get. But he could have it only if he behaved and this reminds him he really has to get it off his chest. He was there for fifteen minutes and still in the same state of mind.  
  
“It’s a disturbing talent you got there, April, I gave it to you.” This comment was enough to wipe from his mind any horny plan with April. “But for the last time, even if killing this man was satisfying, this isn’t what is troubling me.” He sighed. “Here what happened today.”

He couldn’t bring himself to tell about the Champagne night, but he told everything about Mikey because this was the legit reason to be worried. He only admitted Leo overdid his boyfriend act, but didn’t linger on any detail, keeping it vague by calling it “touching overcrossing brotherhood boundaries.”

“And this is why you awoke me?” she asked unimpressed. 

“My little brother did drugs and had sex with random men in front of my face!” he should have known better than look for compassion from April’s part. She loved to enter a funeral home and pretend to be the mistress or love child from the deceased just to spice up her day. “And the other one performed on me unnecessary fellatio!” he finally blurted out for April to get it. “Both are so...shameless! Why I’m cursed with siblings without decency and not goal-oriented. They are both useless hedonists!s”

“Hm, was it bad?” she asked, adding a full spoon of sugar to her coffee. “The blow-job, I mean? I doubt so. Your bro Leo seems the kind of guy skilled with his tongue.” She uttered a long, longing sigh. “Too bad he hates me. I’m sure he can give a partner a great time.” Don put all his wills to stay stone-faced as April fidgeted on her chair, as she was itchy to ride his brother. It was such a wrong, disturbing, cursed image. “He is convinced I drugged you, last Christmas, to slice you and sell one of your kidneys, you know? Just because you woke up sore and with a mere scratch,” she chuckled at the memory.

“Did you do it?” Don asked seriously. He remembered Leo having suspected it, a rare time the red slidder turtle seemed serious, but he had brushed the matter away. April wasn’t that bad.

“I remind you that you and your bro are the only mutant turtles I ever hear off. There no buyers for that, except your own brothers.” Her smirk was mocking. “He sucked you off, so what? He is a brocon like you! Are you upset because it felt greater than with those expensive whores of yours?”

“You don’t understand, April!” Shit, she was too close to home. “How can you not understand how wrong it is? I know we aren’t blood-related before you point it out to me,” he retorted. “But Leo’s promiscuity is concerning, you must agree. And for the last time, I don’t have a brother complex.”

  
“You told me this Garret was there, right?” April looked like she just realized something “You told me he and other guys raped your brother and Leon allowed it to spare a beating to Mikey?” Don carefully nodded and she slammed the table.

“Here you go: You often told me about your bros being a little too loose about sex.”

Don scowled but nodded again. He hated to have it rubbed in his face to have slut as a sibling. It was so embarrassing.

“I think your brother Leo saw sex as a means to protect Mikey and feel safe himself. He gave himself up and then after these guys fucked him,” Don grimaced at the words, “he could get home with Mikey. Maybe he felt anxious there and wanted to give you sex to feel protected by you?”

Donatello frowned, processing. Could it be true? Leonardo wasn’t giving off to be afraid of anything. At the motel room, he seemed very confident. He wasn’t even sure Garret’s presence was random. Leo seemed to have schemed the whole evening.

“And then, your brother Mikey must have a lot of self-esteem issues. His big bro got raped because of him. He wants to show Leo he could take it now. Leonardo is his hero, he saved him by sacrificing himself, so of course, he would take him as a role model.” She gazed at him intensely. “You weren’t there Donnie.” The statement stabbed him, full heart and all rationality faded in his mind, to get strike with was what eating him for six years. “You weren’t there to protect them with this brain of yours. So your brother used his nice booty to save them.”

She crashed the cigarette, muttered a comment about the fact she hated smoking. Seeing she had still Donatello’s full focus, she decided to continue.

“Even after that, what did you did?” she asked rhetorically. “You decided they would stay home, but you, you continued school, right? Then, you started to work full-time and after your father died, you engrossed yourself in your business.” April leaned over the table to poke him. “You didn’t even know the full story before that guy told you about it today. You questioned them, and I know you were angry because you love them as far as you could love, with this emotionless passion of yours. But it’s like you’re so used to hold back everything, you weren’t even able to show them how serious you were in your desire to avenge them or to heal them. You cut yourself from them like this whole story was a blood splatter of your expensive dress shirt and you didn’t want anything to do with it,” she accused. “The whole incident it’s a taint in that mental family photo album you have. How to cover it? How to erase it, you wonder?”

Don stayed still. It wasn’t at all how he would have explained it himself, but he had to admit what April said seemed a great analysis for an outsider.

“None of your brothers have a high school degree, but you decided there was there a potential to make money and you aren’t a man that allows potential to come to a waste. You said they are useless, but they did the job, right? The job you hired them for and trained them to perform? You are conscious you are here complaining about Mikey having sex and getting coked-up, but no a single word about Mikey strangling people?”She chuckled. “You got weird priority and values and this is why I like you.”

“Of course it’s not the same, it was Mikey doing his job we got paid for. We have to kill the seven of them,” Don replied, even if he understood where April was leading. He was still shocked by how he got slammed in the face about he wasn’t there for his brothers. “What I mean it’s that he could have killed them without dishonoring himself!”

“Honor is overrated too.” Don rolled his eyes. What has value to April’s eyes? “Anyway, why would you bother about it? You couldn’t buy stock trade with,” she pointed out with unmistakable sarcasm.

“I think Mikey needs attention,” she continued. “I think it’s pretty obvious he is thirsty for your approval. You never bothered that much about him, right? You relyed on your bro Leon for that! And it’s not like your brother Raph can do something about it,” she added more softly. Raphael wasn’t a laughing matter for anyone, even for April, disrespectful about anything. “You are complaining Mikey follows Leonardo’s lead but you appointed him Mikey’s guardian yourself.”

Don paled; again it was so true. He blamed Leon to have poorly raised Mikey, but that wouldn’t have happened in the first place if he had taken his elder responsibility! Leo was a troubled child that had tried to take care of another troubled child. Poor Raph couldn’t do a thing about it, just grin fondly at them, whatever shit they were doing. It was all Donnie’s fault. He was so much working to make them some dought, he neglected some basic needs of his brothers.

“I will tell you what they need: Leonardo needs to feel safe and to know Mikey is safe as well. April started firmly. “They also need your love and attention. What about doing like a real family and sharing a meal to discuss these matters? Oh and what about therapy?” She slammed her mug again. “They fucking get assaulted!” April couldn’t hide it, because it was against her lonely wolf image, she was incensed about what happened to Don’s little brothers. “Can you take a moment and show you care, for Christ’s sake!” she roared. “Stop buying yourself expensive cars and suits and fucking paid them a psychotherapist, you stupid motherfuckering rich bastard!” 

Don stood up, pale and solemn, grabbing his golden cigarette case.

“Thanks for the coffee, April, and the advice,” he said, already ready to leave.

She looked dubiously at him like she didn’t have expected his answer.

“Chill out a little Donnie. Just for your info, my degree is in chemistry, not psychotherapy. I’m kinda bullshitting you, here.” She chuckled awkwardly. “And I’m coming from a dysfunctional family.”

But Donatello wasn’t even listening anymore.

“I’m going to call a great caterer. You are right. We didn’t share a real meal for ages! I will order all their favorite things and they would see how much I care! Knowing them means that I care, right?”

April objected that it was too early in the morning, but Donatello knew enough humans to guess that some more greens would make them more compliant to open early.

“I will call you back,” Don said absentmindedly, already typing on his phone and closing the door. He would show his brothers he cared for them and would get them a nice brunch and correct his past mistakes.

****

Three hours later, he was standing in the middle of the meeting room with a sparkle of almost enthusiasm, even if he didn’t sleep a blink. After his talk with April, he got an epiphany. Don, such a perfectionist, had been sloppy with the only thing he truly cares about: his family. To assure them a life without any material worries wasn’t enough: they needed to feel safe and for that Don knew the best means: Structure and rules. Himself had always felt safe when everything was speeling out with rules clear to follow. At the orphanage, he had followed the rules very carefully and he did the same at his private school. He felt safe to have a code to follow, it was like a recipe. If he broke no rules, nothing bad would happen to him. Kids with so a strict discipline always end badly and their father, God bless his soul wasn’t good with discipline. Don had tried to establish some ground rules in their household, but he had indeed maybe put too much effort into starting their business. Now that their family business was on a great way, he could focus on his family. To discipline was a sure proof of love, though love, but still love.

But Don knew too much his brothers to guess it wouldn’t go easily. He got everything he needed to coax his brothers into a better disposition to accept his new rules. To show that he was talking to them more as their eldest brother than their boss, he had changed clothes, putting on something classy but less formal than usual.

Raph was already sitting at the table, the coffee cup so tiny and fragile in those huge hands made to kill. He smiled fondly at Don, his so awesome little brother who bought all this food. Don had sent to Leonardo an email about this impromptu meeting and Leon didn’t reply. It was time he grows some balls and goes talk to him directly. He needed Leo’s presence because after all, the whole point was Leon and Mikey’s well-being. To show how important they were to him and how serious Donnie was about their happiness, Don had decided to put the more decorum he can in their business and household change, but for it to be easy to follow, he had also put a lot of effort doing a PowerPoint with sound and effect, despite that kind of elementary kid stuff was usually making him cringe. But he wanted Mikey to pay attention and see the effort Donnie was making to show how much he cared for his family. He could still care even if he wasn’t into cuddles and videogame.

There was this buffet too, Don took extra care to please Leonardo in his choice. Not because of what he felt for that brother was different. It’s only that he needed Leonardo’s approval the most for this to turn a success. If Leo decided to make a big deal and refuse Don’s business and family restructuring plan, Mikey would follow. He needed Raph’s blessing, as not very critical it was. 

“Raph, before I go tell our brothers we are waiting for them, let me recaps what this meeting would be about.”

Raphael stared at him, trying his best to look attentive and interested despite he probably only want to throw himself at the buffet.

“Michelangelo is about to become an adult, but for him to reveal in his full potential, he needs to be closely…” Raph was already sweating in his effort to try to understand and Don uttered a sight.

“Big Red is a good boy.” Raphael beamed at the praise. “Big Red could watch after himself and also, he can help his brother Purple with their little brothers. “Raph nodded eagerly. “I ordered this buffet for you, Raph, because I have a favor to ask you. I need you to watch Baby Blue.”

Confusion showed on Raphael’s face and Don could understand why. Raph was far less autonomous than Leonardo. Leo had always been the brother Don seemed to trust the most, hence when he got a car at the same time Don got him for himself. But April had said Leo needed to feel protected and Raph could be a slow-learner if there was something Don trusted Raph with was his brother security. Raphael would tear apart everyone who dared to touch them. Of course, Leo had still a job to do, but if Raph was available, he could tail him, and on those free days Leo and Mikey had so insisted about getting, Raph would be there, making of his big body a comfortable protective cocoon for Leo, to be sure no bad guys hurt Leonardo ever again. How could Leon not be feeling safe with such a huge Teddy Bear that could bit the head off of anyone threatening him? And Leo loved Raph deeply. He wouldn’t mind, right? 

“Some bad guys are after Baby Blue,” Don shamelessly lied. “You know how he is: fearless and carefree. You watch Blue, I’m taking care of Orange.” Raph looked at him dubiously and he explained again. “Mikey needs more discipline and training than Leo. He is still young. It would be a too heavy burden on you.”

“Big Red loves Orange and Blue,” Raph protested, probably meaning Mikey couldn’t be a burden to him.

“I love them too and this is why I know the best for them and for you,” Donnie retorted. “I’m sorry to ask you that, Raph but I need you. Could you do that for me?”

Raphael nodded with uncharacteristic seriousness. Of course, it was a solemn moment: he got treated as the big brother and not the mentally challenged kid, for once. 

“So, from now, you will also sleep in Leo’s room.” He took a calming breath. “You have to be sure Leo stays in his bed and no stranger enters his room,” he explained. He knew very well that Raph would probably fall asleep way before Leo even if he would try very hard to fulfill his watch duty. But he knew Leon well. Leo would behave for Raph to not gel scolded.

Don told against himself it wasn’t as a way to control Leonardo’s chastity, as the addendum in the work contract wasn’t. It wasn’t because Donnie was jealous Leo had sex with other people. He wasn’t possessive. It was for Leo’s physical and mental health and also for their business image. It wasn’t like what waited for him was any better. Donnie would have to sleep with Mikey. It wasn’t like he would enjoy himself. Mikey’s room was disgusting, but the idea of Mikey touching his belongings was giving him chill.

“Don’t eat everything, I’m going to go tell them we are waiting for them.”

Don climbed the staircase with eagerness but turned stiffer when he was in front of Mikey’s door, the brother he decided to awake. He still remembered with uneasiness his little brother giving head to the targets. Of course, Mikey did it as a distraction and a way to make them undress, but April was right when she saw in it similarities with Leo’s own behavior. But Mikey’s action wasn’t the only thing that slowed his move. Mikey had seen his two other brothers kissing and even much more than that. But as Mikey acted like a coke whore and cross-dressed in young teen girl for the job, Don would explain he had born with Leo’s touching for the exact same reason: their job and the mission success.

“Micheal?” he knocked politely at the door, before opening it. Mikey had always been hard to awake. When he was attending school, he was late every single day and so, Leonardo too.

Mikey was snoring loudly, sleeping on his plastron. Donatello glanced around, studying the room. It didn’t change a lot since the last time he stepped in; idol posters, plushies, a magazine on the floor, and well, plate here and there with some leftover food, Don realized while wrinkling his nose in disgust. 

But something in Mikey’s looked like faking to sleep. Don could felt his brother studying him behind his closed eyes. Donnie was too busy to play cats and mice. He decided to go straight to the point.

“There’s a buffet downstairs and I have a surprise for you. You must be sitting in the meeting room with Leonardo in forty-five minutes from now or you can forget about it,” he said.

Mikey stood upright in his bed, wearing that Offspring t-shirt that was his favorite for six years straight. Why was he bothering to buy them clothes already? 

“Be on time,” he warned again. “With Leon.”

“Alright!”Mikey was grinning, looking very awake for a mutant snoring a few minutes ago. “I’m gonna be there right on time with Le-on,” he chirped, his voice heavy with intent. “He will gotta be nice and ready for you in time.” 

He started to sing the song “I’m not in love” while dressing. Of course, Don wasn’t stupid and caught the drift but he pretended not to notice and left Mikey’s room to face his real challenge. He wasn’t in love and would never be. He didn’t even allow himself a too high sexual pleasure so love was out of the question. Mikey was just messing with him on purpose.

He knocked at Leo’s door after a moment steadying himself.

“Leonardo? Sorry for the late notice, but would you mind joining us downstairs? I planned a meeting this morning,” he said, from behind the door. He turned uneasy smelling faintly pheromone from behind the door.“Did you see my email? I have sent it to you around 5:00 am if I’m correct.”

“I’m busy right now,” Leo retorted his voice tense, making it very clear in which activity he was engrossed. “Maybe you can enter here and give me a hand,” Leo proposed and Don got the innuendo immediately.

“I ordered a brunch buffet,” Don continued, with his same neutral voice because to be a responsible big brother he has to do so. Was Leo touching himself, thinking of him? Probably not, Don decided. Why Leo would when he had so many sex partners? Don was sure that out from the targets and the job, Leonardo had secret trysts with people Don not know. It was driving him crazy. What if Leo put himself in danger? What if he caught an STD? What if Leo falls in love and decides to ditch their family? This is why he had tried so many times to ground him in his room and not because he was jealous.“I made sure all your favorite things are there. There will have blueberries waffle and everything you like.”

The thought his brother was jerking off, so close to climax, jerking off was made Don’s groin throbbing. He could fuck Leo so right, that he didn’t even need to jerk off. He knew, by first-hand knowledge, that Leon could cum from his ass only. Ugh, it would feel so good, but wreck everything he was trying to build.

“And if you feel enough well for that, I ordered some sparkling wine to do Mimosa,” Don continued, the more calmly he could manage. “Because today I have a very important announcement to make. Take a shower and join us in the conference room.”

Like a coward, he climbed down the stair to join Raph. What could he do, anyway? Leonardo was using sex as a survival tactic, that’s all. Don would show him it was unnecessary Leo went that far for him to care.

Raph was there, at the same place he had left him, his mouth full and Don prepared his laptop for his Powerpoint presentation. He had added charts, for them to see how much their business was prospering. He hoped it would trigger in them a feeling of pride for their company. Anxiously, he engrossed himself into reviewing the Powerpoint while pouring coffee down his nervous throat. He sent a reminder email to Leo at some point, but then noticed a typo on a slide. He was so deeply focused he realized Leo and Mikey were there when the youngest gasped loudly.

“Oh my gosh! A chocolate fountain!” Mikey exclaimed, running to it.

Don smiled seeing how easy it was to put Mikey in a great mood, but he knew Mikey wasn’t his real challenge. He forced himself to look casual as he took details of Leonardo. Of course, he should have guessed Leo would do the opposite of what he had requested, but today, Don didn’t want to take offense from such a silly challenge to his authority. Anyway, Leo was breathtaking in his suit and Don felt more at ease when his brother was dressed with many layers.

“Can I offer you a cappuccino,” Don asked politely. He had to make Leo understand he had pulled himself together and wasn’t at all remembering what had happened a few hours ago between them for Leo to not turn smug about having managed to trouble him.  
“Or would you want some of this exquisite Mimosa; it’s made from your favorite Champagne and elderflower syrup. But I can get you orange juice too. There’s no pulp in it since you dislike them.”

Leo wasn’t moving, looking gloomy and suspicious and Donatello wondered how to put him at ease when he keeps having flashes of Leonardo sucking him. 

“This suit is very nice on you,” Don said. Leo had always liked compliment about his good-look and anyway, it was so true.“It enhances your waist. Blue is definitively your color.”

Mikey and Raph were happily eating but Leonardo wasn’t only looking at the distance, his mind miles away and Don got out of his way to fill a plate that he was sure his brother would like. But seeing Leo wasn’t eating and seemed rather in a sour mood, he decided there was no reason to drag it any longer.

“So, if you don’t mind, I will start the meeting now,” Don said, turning on the whiteboard. “To make it easier to follow, I did a PowerPoint,” he explained and Leo snorted in derision. “I’m sorry, it’s not the more interactive I made, but I was running out of time this morning,” he continued, ignoring Leonardo. What with that prick this morning? He didn’t even sleep, having to go that low in the misery that confides into April; all for their sake. “But since some of you don’t like emails, I thought it would be more informal.”

“First, I want to congrats all of you for your good job performance of yesterday. We reached a milestone. Yesterday, in a few hours of works, minus Leonardo’s expenses,” he clarified, “We made $107,778.” Don took a pause and awkward, he clapped his hand, as an encouragement for them to do the same. It must look like a family reunion. Mikey did and so, Raph, grinning and his mouth full, but Leo stayed with a jaded face. “This is why I wanted to reward you,” he continued. “So, let take another moment to congrats ourselves for our business success, but also, Leonardo for his leadership and great planning skills. Without you, Leo, nothing would be possible,” Don exclaimed, holding his mug in a cheering move. Leonardo needed to know he could be appreciated for something else than his nice booty as April had put it. 

“Now that you have buttered me up, can we move on?” Leo spat.  
  
“Of course,” Don said. What was going on with him? Don was trying to be the nice and nothing pleased the jerk. “This increase in our rates comforted me in my idea that my channel could be an excellent mean for us to twice our earning. This is why I grant you your wishes to having more days off. So, in addition, to have Sunday and Wednesday nights off, I decided the ramen shop would be open only from Tuesday to Friday.”

He watched his brother’s reactions and was slightly disappointed by it. Did they didn’t want more time off? Don had granted them their wishes! They would have to deal less with those awful, low scumbag human customers. Was it not great news?

“For us to be more performant and to allow you a feeling of independence, I also bought myself a new car,” he continued. “Raph will have the black one, Leon will keep the grey.” He struggled to stay cool but every time he spoke of the grey car, he felt like acid in his mouth. Leonardo flashed a smile, a sure proof he knew it was still crawling under Donnie’s skin. Why did he work so hard for this bastard’s happiness, he wondered. 

And there happened what he had been worried about.

“Why I don’t have a car?” Mikey protested. “I did most of the job, yesterday while you were laying on your shell.”

Of course, Mikey would rub in his face that he had spent half of the mission been sexed up by Leonardo. Leo bit his lips hard to keep a poker face even if it was evident was jubilating, the cheeky son of a bitch.

“Indeed,” Don agreed. It was impossible to deny it without looking like a dumbass. Anyway, he had seen such a comment coming. “I understood Leo had been right about your potential, Micheal. You have deserved a promotion.”

Mikey was already standing up, his eyes blazing with happiness. 

“This is also why, in a prospect of better performance, this organization and household would enter into a restructuration,” he continued. Now they were at the tricky part. “Please read this contract carefully. It would explain the changes from now on.”

Donatello passed to Mikey and Leo some printed documents. Leonardo accepted them as he was giving used panties full of crabs and Don knew it would be a hard negotiation. 

“As you can read, only Raph’s mission will be recorded. Mikey has so much acting skill, he would be the one animating the channel. If needed, I will be on place to record, but as you know, the field isn’t my comfort zone. You are all better than me. Leo will continue his contract; it’s a one-man-show. No need for assistance or recording.”He so never wanted to witness it again. It was making bubble out of him so much ugly feelings that he doesn’t know what to do with. And if there was something Donatello hated it was to feel helpless, such a loser feeling. “May I draw your attention to the change I made to Leonardo’s client contract at the addendum A.”

Leo flipped the pages and Don knew his brother was beyond mad when he read it. Leonardo’s renting contract stipulated that if Leonardo had sex with the target, an $8000 penalty would be charged. It was enough for people to think twice. Why Leo was so angry? Why did he need to whore himself out so badly? If Leo was so thirsty for sex, he could...Nevermind.

“The image of our family and our family business is very important to me,” Don continued sternly as to be sure no one could read his mind. “But also your health. This is why I discussed with Raph, as an associate and eldest brother.” They did talk about it, it wasn’t a lie, right? “You are our youngest brothers and so, are very precious to us. You are also very promising members of our organization and I know you take pride in our family business and your work enough to understand what I’m about to explain to you." Don took a deep breath. "This is why to maximize your potential, we have decided to ask you to accept to bend at a few new rules” Don made an attempt at a smile. “Can we go to addendum B?”

They read a moment in silence and as Don could feel the aura of anger coming from Leo next to him he could felt Raph’s increasing anxiety. But he was startled despite how prepared for everything he was when Mikey lose it. 

“Why I'm the one having to be with you!” Mikey shouted, eyes flashing with anger. “Why I’m the one going through military training when Leo would be with Raph just cozy? Because last time I checked you got along just well, sharing a bed!”

Don didn’t even lose his cool to the jab. Mikey wouldn’t drop it anytime soon and he knew it. To be with Leon was impossible for him. Don could work very hard on his image and control, it was beyond his force to share Leo’s bed for months without it ending like the Champagne night eventually. But he couldn’t tell it aloud without looking like an incestuous and frivolous bastard and Leo turning tenfold worse with his teasing just to annoy the shit out of him. But why Mikey was so upset about it? Was it that bad to be with him? Don only wanted some bounding time to show Mikey he cared about him and wanted to make up for the last years. Was it too late?

“I’m the one taking the decisions here,” he replied flatly. “You need a firmer discipline than Leonardo. Raph couldn’t give you what you need!”

It didn’t calm Michelangelo at all.

“Just fucking get laid already to stop being a bitch!” Mikey bellowed before storming out of the meeting room and Raph uttered a pained sound. He hated fight and scream, always scared to get smacked as if he wasn't able to kill them with a single punch.

Don’s brown eyes flickered to Leonardo. He had been unusually silent the whole morning. Maybe he had a hangover. Leo took a last swing of his mimosa. 

“I hate you,” Leo said quietly, before standing up to join Michelangelo.

Don stayed a full thirty seconds shocked by the bomb dropped by Leonardo. 

“Bad Donnie.” It was Raph sobbing and Don’s heart just shattered. “Donnie is a meanie, make Baby Orange and Baby Blue cry.”

Neither Leo and Mikey were crying but Raph was and it was something getting more at him than even Leonardo’s tongue.

“I’m not mean!” Don protested. “They are both overreacting because we spoiled them too much!” He truly believed what he was saying. “All I do is for them!”

Furious and upset as he had never been, he ran upstairs and caught Leonardo before this one reached his room. He snatched his wrist and slammed Leo’s shell in the wall. He was so blinded by rage and some other too strong emotion, he bit him hard on the collarbone, as to prevent Leo to move. He heard his brother’s gasp and felt him tremble but he didn’t let it go until he recognized the taste of blood and realize he was hard. 

What he had always been afraid, that his animal side he hid shown just happened. 

“I’m sorry,” he said, stepping back as Leo stared at him with wide eyes and blood oozing from his wound. They were both panting and Don took another step back. He had to calm down and defuse Leo at the same. He needed to apologize and be the sensible elder brother he was.“I didn’t sleep and worked hard. I really do hope you would have listened to me to the end. What I planned is for this family’s sake and that’s all. I specifically wished to have your approval and your help for Mikey’s benefit. Dad said we were twins. I need my twin to side with me for our brother’s happiness,” he struggled to explain, hoping it would be enough for Leo to forgive-and forget his incredibly bestial behavior. 

“You know nothing about them.” Leon’s eyes were pitch black by how dilated his pupils were. Arousal was pouring from him in hot waves, striking and choking Don’s nose with a thick pheromone charged scent. “You don’t even understand yourself.”

Don tried to take a grip, remembering there was no wonder Leonardo was turned on by bites and pain. April would say it was rape aftermath.

It was physically painful, but Don managed to turn his back and walk to Mikey’s bedroom.

“I think both of us are drained. We will talk later.” He knocked on the door. “Micheal,” he called, but Leo spun him toward him.

“No, you won’t send me a cold email later. I say we are setting this now,” he growled. “Let’s make a bet. Stay with me for sixty minutes in my room.” He approached murmuring, his eyes gleaming. “If you don’t cum after sixty minutes, I will help you by being this flawless, devoted manager you want me to be and never complain about your emails ever again. I will sign this stupid contract of yours. Deal?” he asked with his velvety voice, rubbing against him.

He couldn't back down the bet, if he does, Leo would lose all respect for him. 

“Sixty minutes resisting you?” Don repeated, stiff and his voice strained. “And if I win, you will stop being annoying and finally help me by behaving? I can do that, of course. You flatter yourself too much.” He chucked but to his own ears it sounded like bullshit, but did he have the choice? Anyway, he was used to holding back and resist Leo's outrageous flirting. He just has to remember it was not real, just a way for Leo to break his balls.“Let’s hurry. I’m a busy man.”

“Yes, let’s hurry,” Leo repeated huskily. 

And he followed Leo into his bedroom. 

  



	7. Manic Monday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No beta. I'm not speaking English. Art by HeiSuii

At the minute the door closed behind them, Donatello made a restriction.

“I accept this stupid bet of you because it is impossible to put some good sense in your head. You will imagine I have a reason I don’t have to refuse and never let me live it down that I had refused,” he explained. “So, I will accept that stupid bet of yours, but there’s a rule!” he added, raising a finger. “No touching! I know you, Leon. You are an indecent jerk ready to overpass any boundaries to make your point across.”

Leo didn’t reply, removing his jacket. Donatello couldn’t see the expression Leo was making, since he was back at him. Leonardo let his jacket drop on the floor and Don clenched his plastron to see such a pricey jacket treated so carelessly.

“I won’t touch you, if it’s that you are concerned about,” Leo said, in a sweet voice.. He was loosening his necktie and he threw to Don a mocking grin, seeing him picking up and brushing the jacket. “Since you can’t handle my hands on you.”

The little fucker wanted to tease him about Don’s motor running for him. Donnie decided to make it clear it wasn’t anything special. 

“I’m not made of steel. Of course, if someone grabs my genitals and starts playing with, I will get hard. Even more, when this is the person’s specialty,” he added with a grimace. He had to admit the part he couldn’ deny. This was a fact, he got hard. He couldn’t contest it without looking like a dumbass. So, he could confess it, but in a way that would lower Leo’s pretension about the boner he gave Donnie in this seedy motel room. 

“If you say so,” Leonardo huffed, not at all bothered to have been almost called a whore. It wasn’t Donnie’s fault if Leo was. He was the motherfucker acting like one and crossing limits with his targets. And well, with other people as well. Don never got Leo red-handed with another person out of a job. He didn’t have enough free time for that, thanks to Donatello's strict work schedule. It was still something he had always suspected, something in Leo’s stance and behavior some morning hinted that. That had always incensed him, but Leo wouldn’t be able to be that loose, anymore with Raph there. It was a decision for Leon’s own safety, of course.

“Now that we have agreed on the rule, let me set a timer,” Don said, pulling out his cellphone, his voice clipped. He hoped he wasn’t sounding nervous. “As you could guess, I have a hectic schedule today.”

“So kind to you to find time for your brother,” Leo snickered.

He was slowly undressing and Don looked away as he was bored. 

But he could not look away forever without being called a pussy and so, after having braced himself, he turned to look at his brother again. 

Leo was lying on his plastron, with his shirt still one, but Don’s eyes zeroed on the cute little tail poking out of it. His mouth grew dry with desire. Why was he so weak to it, damn it? It wasn’t like it was the first time he saw it!

“I don’t know what you are trying to achieve by being naked.” Don snorted in derision. While Leo wasn’t looking, he wiped his sweat. “But it wouldn’t get at me. I mean, you are such an indecent exhibitionist, I’m immune to the view of your naked body,” he snarled, huskily.

“Calm down, I won’t rape you. I just want us to chill together. I’m putting myself comfy, that’s all,” Leon said and Don realized his brother had reached for his laptop. “Also, I want to talk about this new idea of yours.”

Leo was typing on his keyboard and his voice was calm and, again, Don was impressed about how Leo could turn on and off like a switch. It was at those moments he wondered if he knew the real Leonardo.

“Come here. I want us to see last night’s footage. I’m curious about how you did that job.”

Don frowned, even if Leo’s curiosity was valid, he wasn’t feeling like watching at all, but at least, he was sure to win this bet. He wouldn’t get hard over a murder.

“It wouldn’t be fascinating, I’m afraid.” He sat stiffly on the bed, very careful to not be close, but also, not too far to get called out about. “I’m not used to this, like you.”

“You did it anyway.” He handed the laptop to Don. “Show me.”

Don obeyed with a sigh, going on his channel with his admin info and turned back the screen toward Leo.

He felt a little self-conscious, hearing himself on the streaming. Even if Don had a great opinion of himself, the slaughter wasn't his field of expertise when Leonardo was an artist at it. His brother was staring intensely at the screen, studying Don's performance and he felt self-conscious under the close examination. It was a rare feeling for him. He was useless to do a flawless job, since forever and be perfect in any circumstance. 

"This!" Leo exclaimed like he was thrilled. "It’s going straight to the spank bank."

Don glanced up. Leo had paused the video at the moment he was slicing Garret’s throat. His mouth twisted in disapproval at himself. On it, he had a kind of lunatic gleam in the eyes, no tie and well, some blood splatter; so inelegant. He indeed looked like a clothed animal. What was interesting Leo in that? He could suppose the end of an enemy was thrilling, but even so, one must be twisted to be turned on by blood.

“This is what is haunting my nightie fantasies,” Leo murmured. “Look at you.”

“What do you mean?” Don could help but lean over, to check, curious although he knew he should know better. “Except for being dirty, I’m nothing different.”

“Are you kidding me?” Leonardo looked at him, his pupils dilated by arousal. “You are expressing emotion without restraint. I would even call it raw passion.” Leon’s voice turned a low-pitch and he lay on his side to gaze at him more conveniently. “This is something I only saw once...Should I remind you of the occasion?” he asked lustfully.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Don put on his face his more stern expression. Here we go with the teasing and flirting. How long does he still have to bear it? 53 minutes? He could do it. “But I admit to being interested in your point of view about our…”

“Did you do it for me?” Leo’s voice was a purr as he ran his hand up to his thigh in an attractive manner, beckoning Donatello to come closer. Don thought it should be illegal to have such alluring legs, putting all his wills to keep a front without any opening. 

“Did you think of me when you sliced his throat?” The onyx gaze devoured him and Donnie swallowed heavily. He still remembered vividly the last time he had been stared at like that. Of course, he remembered, since it had been a few hours ago when Leo was giving him head in a motel room. He had to curse this memory out of his mind. It was so wicked to be in his brother’s bed, about to get hard over such gory images displayed next to them. “What did you think about at the moment you took that blade I left you? Which idea led your hand?”

The fact was he had been in a frenzy at the last moment, he wasn’t sure his thought had been coherent, but of course, Leo’s image had flashed in his mind. But there was no way he told that to him; Leo was already enough of a smug bastard. “Were you mad this guy took my first time?” the velvety voice continued. “Would you have rather wanted it were you that breached me first, feeling me opening up for you?”

Don felt like choking in his DG dress shirt and he raised his hand to undo the first button, before realizing it would look like he was bothered. He couldn’t even smoke, damn it!

“It had nothing to do with it,”Don stated, but even for him, it sounded like a feeble denial.

“I bet you were mad because of him you got with me a second-hand item and you can’t stand it. You are too posh for that,” Leo added a little harsher. “Tell me.” 

“I did it first because it was what I was supposed to do,” Don replied the calmest he could manage. “Our clientele was expecting that and well, it’s not like he would have survived, anyway.” It was half a lie and Don didn’t want to sound too cold, either. After all, April told him he had to show he cared. “But of course, I was evenly determined to end a man who hurt my brothers.” Don insisted on the plural. Anyway, it was true. Mikey got hurt as well and it was also something he couldn’t stand. “My family is my more precious treasure. I could not even allow a man to stomp on your toes, Leonardo,” he concluded, hoping his brother would be stirred by how honest and showing sensitivity Don was and drop his seduction routine.

“Why? Because they are expensive Italian shoes?” Leo looked very unimpressed and he turned his eyes toward the screen again. “I prefer this version of you. Full of fire and passion. This is definitively jerk-off material. I will beat off to it tonight.”

The warm crept to Don’s face, but he found an idea to spoil the mood and kill any boner they could have. Don clung to it as a lifeline.

“Don’t forget Raph will share your bed.” Any mention of Raphael was always a serious matter. Then, a disturbing image made him ashen. “You wouldn’t touch Raph, right?” To have Raph turning into a lustful, mindless beast, perverted by Leonardo, would take the cake. He took a dive into Leo’s shady soul. “You wouldn’t dare. He is innocent. He wouldn’t be able to resist you.”

“Because you admit it’s hard to resist me?” Leo flashed his teeth. “Do you want to know what is in my bed table drawer?”

Don refused flatly and his eyes glanced at the time. 45 minutes left. He already managed to get over 25% of this trial. Because of course, for now, it was easy, but he had no illusion. Leo was a motherfuckering good schemer and he would deliver a critical hit at the exact moment Don wouldn’t be expecting it, anymore. 

Leo put aside the laptop and stretched to open his drawer. The shirt’s fabric lifted for him to get a nice-or rather disturbing-view on his brother’s ass and tail. Leo’s tail was so fine and appealing, enlightening Leo’s perfect, firm buttocks and between his legs, Don’s cock twitched. 

The tail was at reach, so enticing, begging for attention, beckoning him to come closer and tug hard on it. He remembered how his brother’s appendage was sensitive and how Leon had moaned loudly when he had pulled on it and nibbed it. Under the tail, he could see Leo's puckered entrance, almost winking at him in a welcoming way. It had been so thrilling to feel Leo from the inside. Donnie was feeling the warm burbling in his belly as a warning. He compelled his eyes to look away. But then, they landed on Leo’s bite mark, the one he did, and shame overwhelmed him. Why his damn kryptonite was living with him, damn it.

44 minutes.

“Open it.” Leo forced a box in his hand. “This is my treasure chest.”

Don uttered a long sigh as he opened it, knowing already what would be in it; sex toys and braced himself to see whatever kinky stuff Leo’s naughty mind could enjoy. But he couldn’t help but flush at the view of what was taking the more room in the box: a very long and thick purple dildo. But what was more troubling was that the shape was similar to his own dick. Don was positive there was no sex shop selling turtle dick-like dildo. Where that was coming from? And why, why, Leo chose it purple?

Despite he tried so much not to, an erotic movie started to play in the back of his mind. Leo, spread on his bed, fucking himself on the dildo, moaning with wanton Don’s name, cumming all over his plastron, thinking of him. The scene was so vivid, he could smell the faint aroma of sex. His cock was throbbing, pressing against his slit, asking to get out and find a release.

“You aren’t the only one to ask for a custom made piece,” Leo said slowly, his black eyes prying on him. “This purple silicone baby cost me $4000.” 

The eye-watering price made it. Don was kicked out of his erotic reverie. 

“Pardon me?” Donnie exclaimed. $4000?”He was gasping in shock. $4000 for something Leo would literally shove up his ass. It was crazy. Why was he the only one sensible in his whole family? “Who in his right mind buy a sex toy at this outrageous price?” he shouted. "We can't even ask for a refund!"

Leonardo seemed displeased by the comment, but Don was too revolted to give a rat’s ass. Should he keep Leo’s money cut too?

“Bold of you when you rent $2000 whore monthly and she didn’t even get you off,” Leo said through his clenched teeth. “You are the one denying me access to the original model for free.”

Don dismissed the second part to focus on crashing Leo’s theory about he couldn’t get off with a prostitute, even if he knew it was nothing to be proud of. Anyway, it was too late to deny renting them. Leo must have asked Mikey to tail him or he did himself. Leonardo was a sneaky bastard too. They both wanted so badly to get him red-handed to be able then to do whatever the fuck they wanted.

“Bold of you to assume I’m not enjoying those moments,” he spat icily. “But indeed, I admit I may have spent too much on my carnal desires. I’m ready to make my mea culpa.” That would placate Leonardo for sure. “I won’t do it ever again. In fact, I…”

“Fuck that noise.” The black irises flashed with anger. “If you want me to not show my box content to Raph and ask him to assist me, you will do it right now. If I’m supposed to be chaste from now, I want a mind-blowing orgasm.”

Don mentally gasped, shocked. 

“This is the more shameless blackmail I never heard of.” 40 minutes left. “You said you preferred that one.” Don showed himself on the screen. He was still cringing internally, looking at it. He looked so much like a lunatic, but it was more bearable if Leo was beating off on a recorded him than in reality with him there. Don could try to forget that conversation but he was sure as hell it would be harder to drown away the memory of Leo masturbating and playing with his ass at one foot from him. “You don’t need me in the flesh. Besides, no touching. You agree to that rule.” He wasn’t panting, his mind wasn’t drifting, picturing Leo breaching himself on the purple dildo. He needed to stop this before it got out of hand. “Jerk off alone on whatever you want. I’m leaving. This is a waste of my time.”

He tried to get up, but the room was filled with pheromone suddenly. He was so dizzy by it, he couldn’t walk to the door.

“We made a bet. Leave that room and I resign.” Leo’s voice was as thick as the air. Donatello paled, staring at him with incredulous eyes. Did he hear well? How far Leo could go in the threat? “If I resign, Mikey will too,” Leo added, challenge and lust making his eyes shone like two dark carbuncles. “Good luck with Raph and that business of yours. Without me, you couldn’t make it work.”

The furor to be even more blackmailed made Donnie shake. What was more infuriating was that Leo was kind of right. He had the fighting skills and a tactician mind that would be hard as hell to find in a substitute. Also, if his family wasn’t part of it, half of his motivation was fading away. All that Donnie was doing was for his brothers. How could that ungrateful jerk not see it?

“What do you want?” he hissed. It sounded more desperate than he would have wanted. He didn’t even try to argue. There was no way out, Don knew his brother enough for that. Leonardo was like a hound when he was feeling a weak spot. He would nag Don until he got what he wanted.

“I did the job, right? I mean Mikey and me. I think Mikey deserved a car. Or at least a scooter.”

Donatello nodded but didn’t agree verbally. Mike and Leo were doing teamwork to get at him since forever and he was used to it. He knew there was a trap somewhere. 

“As for me, my cut on the money is enough. With it, I would rent myself a passionate whore.”

Don’s heart jumped in his heart, but he managed to not let it show.

“Just don’t get crab or AIDS by picking up anyone,” he said with a shrug. “Neither knock up someone if you go for a girl. You are an adult, and well, on a great start to burning your savings. What can I say,” he muttered, aware its tone was too bitter for someone supposed to be detached from the situation.

From under the box, Leo pulled out something else and threw banknotes to Don. 

“Here. Now that I had rented you, I want less talking and more fucking.”

Motionless, Don let the bills rain on him. He couldn’t believe Leonardo could go that far into the provocation.

“That would be overcrossing the rule of no touching that we agreed on…” he forced himself to respond in a dull voice. “You said you won’t touch me and I could tell you that having sexual intercourse with you is not on the table either.”

“Tie me up with my necktie. I would be restrained and your pure body would be safe.” Leo stretched his hands. “Don’t dare to say the necktie is too expensive to get crumpled,” he warned. 

Don gulped, his eyes flickering to the tie, then the bite mark, then Leo’s wrists.

“Here the deal. I won’t touch you, neither would I ask you to put your dick in me since you are dreading it like I had a disease,” he sneered. “You will only have to use that dildo on me and feel me up.” Don was already making a move to stand up, but Leo raised his voice, using that imperative tone of a royal mistress Donnie was so weak to, damn it. “If you don’t cum in the next thirty-five minutes, I already promised to be your loyal second and sign everything you want. If you cum, I swear to have an open discussion with you and do my best to find common ground, so it’s not like you really lose something. Was your meeting for that? Sharing our vision of our family business?” 

Something was definitively mocking in Leo’s voice. “Refuse, and I quit.” They locked eyes and Don had to remember to breathe. Leo was dead serious and if Donnie could be stubborn, Leo was tenfold worse. “Besides, I already paid you.” A teasing smirk stretched Leo’s lips. “You aren’t the kind of guy to spit on $2000 bucks. You can buy a Jacky Truchot Clos de la Roche Grand Cru and make a toast to me with it.”

“You are aware that it’s not something you ask your brother usually?” Shit, he needed to buy himself some time. A discussion about ethics was an excellent way for that. “And what kind of tasteless joke is that?” Don slapped a banknote off from his pants. “Keep your money; you will need it, considering how you burn it, you spendthrift!” 

“We aren’t related,” Leo deadpanned. “And at least I’m asking beforehand when you didn’t, three years ago when you pinned me down to have your way with me.”

Damn, it was such a good point, but Don refused to let himself go and Leonardo win this argument.

“I…”

“I didn’t pay you for flapping your lips. Tie me up!”

That was the more acceptable part of Leo’s request and so, Don did it, even if he was sure not taking Leo’s money and made a whore of himself. He untied the necktie, trying to not brush the bitemark and he bound Leo’s wrists together. Now, Leo was vulnerable supposedly, but in fact, Don felt like he was the one having no control over the situation. He glanced away, not daring to look at the bulge in Leon’s lower plastron as it was as dangerous as staring straight at a solar eclipse. His brain worked overdrive to find a way to get out of the situation with his pride unharmed.

“Spread my legs. Caress my knees and thighs as I was a precious thing,” Leo murmured. 

Don did as he had been told with a slightly shaky hand, knowing he couldn't back off without being treated like a chicken. He couldn’t believe Leo would dare to quit their business, but to win this trial was necessary for their household’s tranquility. If Leo was persuaded Don felt nothing more for him that brotherly affection; everything would be alright. It wasn’t only Leonardo’s fault. Leo’s immoral attitude was part of his trauma and he wished he could kill Garret a second time. He sworne mentally to do his best to heal Leo. There were great clinics to cure sexual addiction, right? He could enroll Mikey there too. Leo and Mikey were both horny peas in the same pod. For Raph, maybe he could ask some specialist’s help. He wasn’t the kind of person entrusting his brothers to someone else, but he should go over his wariness for their sake. For him, he needed nothing. There was nothing wrong with him and he wasn’t weak to have something called an addiction. He was a model of self-restraint and good life decisions.

He tried to fill his mind with white noises as he caressed the thighs as Leo asked him, and he could feel the trembling under his fingers. Leo was so sensitive to his touch, he thought, before preferring to think that Leo would be receptive to anyone. His fingers grazed around the knife bound to Leo’s leg and he wondered briefly if Leo would allow him to untie it. He leaned over and brushed the leather sheath with his lips. 

It was a new level of sexual tension, the boss level Don must pass to lead a quiet and lucrative life.

The scent was impossible to ignore, getting stronger, making him desperate to get some fresh air. Could he open a window? But it was like he couldn’t peel away from this warm, silky flesh. He was only stroking that jerk’s legs, but he was already about to burst. Leo’s first churr almost undone him and Don understood why human girl, as expensive they were, couldn’t overshadow Leo’s memory. 

The sounds, the smell coming from someone from his mutant turtle species were too appealing to his animal nature. No woman could have that sweet musky perfume and made that sound to call a mate that went straight to his groin. And Leo was wet, so wet. Leonardo could self-lubricate as a woman could, but no girl had ever damped a duvet with her fluid because he turned her on. He had to drench them in lube, usually. The awareness that the precious fabric would be dirty lingered a moment in his mind, but he chased it away when Leo begged to be filled.

He swallowed hard as he took the silicon toy in his hand. It seemed heavy in his hand. Leo would feel so much better with the real thing he couldn’t help but think. Why was he so stubborn about no fucking the shit out of this arrogant prick, already? 

Oh yes, feelings. 

Feelings for Leo would be the wreck of everything Donatello had worked so hard for. And also, it would be losing, and losing against Leo would be the absolute worst. 

He carefully breached Leo with the dildo even if his lust wanted to slam it into him. Leo tensed, babbling some nonsense and their mixed scent clouded Don’s brain. Leo looked at him with half-lidded, pitch-black eyes, aware of Donnie’s arousal, and turned on by it. Precum was leaking from his cock, making a pool on the shirt and Don unbuttoned it in a hurry, for the sake of the shirt and not all because he wanted to see more of Leo’s body. 

Donatello still remembered to resist, but the voice of reason was getting lower and lower. He was now hammering Leo with the dildo and sweat rolled from their both foreheads. Again, the setting was so twisted. On the night table, the gory video was still paused. They were banknotes everywhere as for the Champagne night. If he was losing it to the point of kissing Leo he could taste the sparkling wine he had at breakfast. But the important difference from the last time was that even if Leo drank, he wasn’t drunk; neither was he. Don was supposed to have his whole mind. 

“Open your eyes. Look at how you make me feel goooood,” Leo moaned. “Doooonniiie”

Don snapped his eyes open, having been called out. He tried to keep his eyes open without paying attention, but it was impossible. Since forever, Leonardo had always made his duty to not be ignored.

Leo’s cock was bouncing, hard and twitching and to see it so free was making the one trapped in his pants even more painful. His slit was open, but he still managed to keep him inside his plastron. The tight fabric from the pants helped him. 

What time was it? Twenty minutes, and he would win. He could hold it for twenty. If Leo would just shut up, let him focus, he would win. He would then go into his own bedroom and jerk off as crazy and this hellish situation would be over. Could he add a finger to the dildo? It wasn’t that bad, right? He would be able to feel Leon’s body warmth and feel the muscle clenched around his digit and thinking of it made his cock slip free from his plastron, the bulge in his pants now very obvious. 

“I want you in me,” Leo moaned. Tears were running down his flushed cheeks as the dildo and Don’s hands were too much overstimulating him. “I want to feel you and make your damn control snap.” 

“You drive me crazy every day, already,” Don protested, but he knew it. He was on the verge of losing. Leo was too much of a predator to not feel it and continue to nag, push, and win that challenge. 

“Maybe I do it because I want you to notice me.” To make sure Leo would stop talking, Don hit his prostate again and again with the dildo and his brother wailed, thrashing on the bed. If Leo could just fucking cum, maybe he would shut up before saying words that would indeed make Donatello’s control snaps. 

“Maybe what I do it’s to get your attention and a reaction,” Leo panted, breathing hard.

“Which reaction?” Don asked feverishly. Why, why was he asking a question he didn’t want to know the answer to? “This one?” he added despite himself. He made a twisting motion, showing the dildo even deeper. It was so amazing to see how Leo’s body was sucking it in and it should be even more amazing to have his cock there. 

Leo’s hips buckled and he came, all over his plastron, moaning Don’s name wantonly. The semen ran down Leo’s tights and Don’s hands, soaking them with Leo’s musk and that was it.

Lust took over reason.

He shoved his tongue down Leo’s throat for a moment and he felt the gasp of surprise that lasted a heartbeat before Leo answered the kiss with hunger. But Don cut it abruptly. 

“Fuck you, Leo!” Don yelled, truly angry but still turning his brother over. He jerked the toy out of Leo’s body. If he had sex from the front, sober, he wouldn’t have even more trouble to get it out of his mind. It would too much look like lovemaking and Leo’s eyes would haunt him always. Donnie didn’t even warn before pulling his cock out of his pants and sinking to the hilt. It slid smoothly and his pants were damped in Leo’s fluids, but for once, he didn’t care about his appearance.

He trusted ruthlessly into Leo’s body, limp by the afterglow. “Fuck you!” he repeated, now even sure what he truly means by these words, the hatred or the action.

He pounded him into the mattress, his sense working on overdrive, fueled by all the moans escaping Leo. The jerk was keeping calling his name in wanton as Leo didn’t have already won. For him, he didn’t want to talk, keeping what he felt for himself. To be sure to not let anything out, he bit hard on Leo’s bandana tails, riding him forcefully to make him wail and cry and continue to call his name again.

Why was the pleasure so great with him that Don wasn’t even able to remember his name, anymore? His business, the accounts, their clientele, their million in savings, the Tesla stock trades, the new season arrival at Givenchy, everything faded in his mind. Nothing mattered more than the flesh clenching around his shaft. His gaze zeroed in the bite mark, his jaw aching to clasp on it again, claiming Leo, for the world to know he was his, only, and no one to touch and fool around with. Anyway, listening to Leo begging and seeing how his tail was shaking, it was what Leon wanted. His brother was a sticky, sweaty, needy mess, asking to be owned, marked and drenched in Don’s cum. This sexy little shit would get what he was asking for!

Donatello was there, about to tip over the edge and his teeth at one hair breath of Leo’s neck when it happened. 

And as he could have expected, because he had given in to his desire, everything went downhill.

Raph burst open the door, in tears, and after the first moment of shock, Don pulled out quickly and wrapped Leo in the duvet. But he had not been fast enough; Raph stopped sobbing to sniff the air, probably puzzled by the strange odor.

“Leon misbehaved. I was punishing him,” Don blurted out. Thank God, Raph was so pure, he had no idea of what sex was and the explanation was very likely. He spanked Mikey a few times.

He put his weight on Leo as a silent warning for him to shut up. “What is happening to you, Raph?” he asked, trying to calm down his pounding heart and his breath. Fuck, what a cock block.

“Baby is gone! Gone with the black car,” Raph choked out, his green eyes full of tears and fear and Don paled. Mikey had been upset. Don had meant to speak with him, but Leo had interfered and while they were having sex, Mikey just decided to run away. Who knows what Mikey could do when he was mad? 

A terrible feeling made him run down to his office, and he became livid, seeing the safe open and the money was gone. Of course, it wasn’t all of their money, but there was still $200,000 in cash there. Mikey left with Don’s Mercedes and $200,000. His heart missed a beat so long, he thought he was having a stroke.

Now, Mikey could be likely to spend all Don’s money on crack or whatever or drive to Mexico to work for a drug cartel. It wasn’t him overreacting and making up scenarios. Mikey was unpredictable, wild-and ungrateful-son of a bitch.

He rubbed his temples as he dropped in his chair. Mikey was gone for less than one hour so he could just report his car as stolen…

The alarm of his phone rang when he was about to call the police and was confused before realizing the bet limit had just ended. 

“Don...”Leo called softly, leaning against the frame of the door. He was wrapped in the royal blue Zimmerli Piped Silk Robe Don gave him last Christmas but sex still poured out of him by dangerous waves. Waves Donatello would never surf anymore on. He should have known better. He still had Leo’s smell in his nose, probably because of his pants, the fabric damped and sticky with his brother’s fluids. Not giving a damn about his image anymore, Donatello pulled a cigarette from his case and lit up with the hand not holding the phone. The smoke would overshadow the sweet scent. Donnie would take the reek from the bitter tobacco tenfold. It smelled like control. 

In the background, Raph was sobbing his soul out.

“So, are you satisfied?"Donatello snarled, balling his fist in an attempt to stay composed. "Did you schemed that, Leon? Was it a way to keep me busy while Mikey was robbing me?” he asked, his voice clipped, dragging on his cigarette furiously. “You can be proud of you!”

Leo frowned, about to deny maybe, but Don cut him before he could speak. Every word from Leonardo, as honeyed they were, was poison for his mind. 

“Even if you didn’t, it's still your fault if something happens to Mikey,” Don stated icily. “Each penny missing from the money robbed would be withdrawn from your earnings.” 

“You’re such an impossible jerk,” Leo growled lowly, flushed with anger. 

“That’s my line!” Donnie was far from done. “And by the way, for it to be clear, I won that bet. So I do hope you will respect your word.” They glared at each other for a moment. “Now, if you want to excuse me. I wasted enough time on a Monday morning.”

Don made a gesture of the hand to dismiss Leonardo as he called the police. Leo slammed the door so hard that the framed family picture hung on Donnie’s office wall, fell to the ground, shattering into pieces. 


	8. Interlude Mikey: Wasted Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so no progress in the plot. I feel mandatory to explain Mikey pov. Sorry about that, self-indulgent chapter, even if Mikey isn't my fave character. You can skip it if you are there for Leotello or don't like angsty stuff. Arts to come. No beta, no speaking English, sorry for the mistakes, this chapter was long and I feel sick.

Mikey ran to his bedroom and slammed the door before throwing himself on his bed. Raph, not able to give him what he needed? Who Don was thinking he was? When he got rubbed in his face, that his brothers knew Donatello wasn’t the flawless machine he wanted them to believe he was?

How the Prince of Denialville dared to decide what Mikey needed or not? Why did he dare to remove Raph from him as he had removed anything else, already? Why was he treating him like a misbehaving child when Mikey killed five guys on his order?

Mikey crushed his face in his pillow with a growl of rage and despair. He stretched his arm and snatched his earbud to listen to some angsty music. If Don the asshole dared to knock at his door, he wouldn’t hear him. He so regretted having been adopted with siblings. He so regretted being alive, period. 

It wasn't that he disliked his brothers. In fact, he loved them so much, even Don the mighty self-righteous asshole. He couldn’t leave their home and them behind. He would feel too empty and alone. 

Their mutant nature made them dependent; forcing them to stay with their species. They were supposed to have a better understanding of each other than humans, but as Don just proved it, it meant nothing at all! 

Leo was the only brother understanding him and they quite got along, except when Leon acted like his mother, which happened more lately. 

When he was younger, Mikey had what he could call a Mom complex about his older brother Leo. He had given up the hope long ago about being more than mere brothers with Leonardo. It was the first thing Don had ripped off from him.

His love life sucked so much already and now his sex life would too, thanks to Donatello, the master of them all. Because it was what they had been trained to; obey Donnie as he had been trained to boss them around.

Mikey didn’t remember when he got adopted. Their father was a good rat-man. Mikey couldn't blame him. He was only one year old, but he could tell that by adopting 4 kiddo turtles, Splinter had bitten more than he could chew. 

When he found out that the biggest one he had chosen to help him with labor work was mentally challenged due to beating and trauma, it must have been a hard blow. But Raphael was so sweet, eager to please and be loved, Splinter chose to keep him. Anyway, the tall, skinny one with cheap eyeglasses was "a blessing," making up for how useless they were.

From day one, Donatello had been more useful alone than the whole family and so, the center of all attention. When they got adopted, Donnie was three years old, but knew how to read, write, and calculate. The day when he fixed the oven by himself, when he was around 4 years old, saving their father from a reparation bill, it had been decided; Don would be the favorite and whatever he would say in the future would be gospel truth. 

Their father had Raph for what required strength and Don for what asked a brain and so, Leo and himself had been left out. No one cared for Mikey that much, too young to be useful and so, Leo in a similar situation, but older, cared for him.

Leonardo was an easy-going, balanced child. His strong point was to be silver-tongued and a master apologizer, getting Raph and Mikey off the hook anytime they fucked up. Already at the time, Leo was able to deflagrate Don’s scolding with some puppy-eyes.

Since Leon was also the second-one able to handle some responsibilities after Donnie, Leo got the “mommy job.” That means changing Mikey’s diaper, then pants when he got an “accident,” giving him baths, reading him a story before bed, doing the cooking and the dishes, and getting up when Mikey had a nightmare.

Mikey was too open-minded to think chores could have a gender, but at the time, he wasn’t as educated as now and so it had been quite a shock when he found out Leo had a pee-pee like him and wasn’t a girl. It wasn’t only because Leonardo was caring, he also had that way of walking and moving, those alluring limbs and Bambi-like eyes that were too gracious to be from a boy, already at the time. 

Leo hadn’t minded the confusion, finding it quite funny.

When they played pretend, Leo was always the mom, Mikey, the son, and they used a broom to replace Don as the father because of course, Don had no time to waste in such silly things as play pretend. Raph couldn’t play, because he wasn’t sure what to do and so he stayed in the role of the mute uncle grinning at them, but still sweating a lot, anxious to get asked something he wouldn’t understand. 

The few times Mikey had asked something to Donatello that could take more than ten minutes of his time, like helping him practice ice-skating, the answer was always: “Ask Leon.” Anyway, Mikey wasn’t dumb, he caught the drift quickly and didn’t need Leo to told him to not bother Donnie. 

Donatello was the breadwinner and the family head at the age kids still play with action figures.

They weren’t playing pretend; Don was the father and Leo, the mom, and Raph was everything they wanted him to be if they kept it simple.

Since his paternal figure was absent, he clung up to Leo even more.

Meanwhile, their real-life father was playing cards with some mutant friends and getting wasted while Don worked hard to make the dough. Mikey didn’t blame Splinter. He had been human until adulthood, and since he got mutated, he had felt his life going downhill. He had lost his movie contracts, his lover, and with the very little money left, he had bought that Ramen shop. He was about to get out of business too when he had adopted them to make some money and have cheap labor eventually when they would get older. 

At the time, two other mutants worked there as a cook and a waiter. The paycheck was thin but to get a job for a mutant was hard and so, they didn’t complain. But eventually, Don found out that both of them were stealing some food and they got fired. Finding new employees would be a hassle. Donnie decided there was no need for that. 

Don managed a lot already, between his own lessons, Raph’s, the accounts, the orders, the bills, and whichever appliances that needed to be fixed. He was the manager of the whole place since he was five years old, but he refused to boil noodles, neither serve commoners. He told their father that now that Mikey could read, they could all work and it would be some money saved.

And so, at 9 years old he had been promoted cook when Leo at 12 years old was the cashier and waiter. The Ramen Shop was open for lunch and dinner work, so even at lunch break, they have to run home from school to serve clients.

Of course, to make work such as young children was illegal, but no one cared about mutant kids and Don had already at the time a very slack ethical sense. If they could pile up money, everything was fine. Mikey and Leon were enjoying themselves, right? Was he not working himself for years for their family’s well-being? They could too. 

Indeed, Mikey didn’t mind the job, it feeds him in a way. For once, he felt useful. When Leo had got more homework to do, Mikey had replaced him in the kitchen of their home. It was obvious that Leo was feeding them only because he was the only one available the first years, but Mikey loved cooking and baking and so, Leo had let him be with relief. 

The whole family had seemed to appreciate the change. Their father forgot they weren’t related and boasted about the culinary skills Mikey took from him. Raph loved his cooking, always asking for a second plate with goo-goo eyes. Leo praised him, beaming with some maternal pride, and sometimes, Don remembered he had taste buds and muttered something about the meal being good while doing his homework and the shop account at the kitchen table. 

That he finished his plate was an achievement, Mikey supposed. Already as a teen, Don was greedy only for money and power.

Despite that, Mikey was kinda happy until puberty hit him like a train as early as 11 years old. The desire to have a boyfriend devoured him. He started to have some erotic dream as a preteen could have, with only kisses and caresses. He daydreamed about it at school and while slicing vegetables. It would be so nice to have someone who cares for him and escape to this household a few hours a week. It was very innocent fantasies.

Mikey was aware Leo was out of limit because of incest and all as he was aware he was more attracted to male, human or mutant. Apparently, being outspoken about it was a big no and he started having problems at school for having let his gaze linger a little too long on some of Leo’s classmates.

The only quality time their father was given them was 75 minutes of martial art daily. He always told them that mutants were faster, stronger, and had more stamina than humans. Despite being around 5’ foot tall at the time, he had thought of himself as invincible because of it. Mikey wasn’t ashamed to be gay or a mutant and keeping something lowkey had never been him.

He had looked for trouble and got what he was looking for.

If Leo hadn’t jumped in the fight, it could have ended very badly for him. He was twelve years old, 5 foot tall, and scared as fuck in front of a dozen older guys. It didn't take three minutes that he was already half knocked-out.

Leo was a better fighter than Mikey; he was also older and one foot taller, but against so many guys at once, Leo had given in. Mikey refused to think about that moment where Leo surrendered; it was making him feel sick in self-hatred. 

He wouldn’t think about it today, because he was so unhappy already, and every time he thought about he wanted to fuck himself up so bad, he would die from it. 

When they came back from school that day, everything changed in their family from there. There were positive things and Mikey preferred to focus on the bright side. Their father had been pretty upset. The six months following the attack, their father had increased the training to three hours a day, except for Donatello too busy with work and study. Mikey didn’t mind the training, it was some bonding time and he was thirsty for it. Also, when he never took his training too seriously, now he found a purpose in it. Getting strong and being able to protect his brother as Leo had protected him. Leo and Raph were very driven to get better too and so, in the six last months of Splinter’s life, they had felt like a family except for Don, already barely present, got more and more engrossed by his work and his inner world full of numbers and rules.

Raph had cried a lot following the “incident” as Donnie called it. He had cried for weeks, even if he had understood shit, the lucky soul. He had started to be more and more clingy with his younger brothers and Mikey loved attention and cuddles so it was an improvement. Raphael’s huge body was very comforting.

Mikey couldn’t sleep alone anymore; he slept with Leo, clutching at him like a lifeline. Leonardo was keeping quiet about his feelings and what had happened and Mikey had decided that Leo was deeply hurt and needed comfort. The hormones, the need to make his brother feel good and wipe the evil teens' touch brought them to experience some touching. 

Leonardo wasn’t minding; he had always been easy going, surfing on the flow with a bright smile. The first time he had bust his load into Leo’s palm, he knew he would get addicted to it.  
He had started wanting to get to bed earlier, to get more time to touch, to kiss, to feel warm and loved. They were freaks, they were alone, and Mikey had been too scared by how humans were mean and cruel to ever try again to get close to them.

But one day, Don had told Mikey it was enough. Leonardo needed his space and the incident being more than one year old, Mikey could sleep alone. Don had bought and installed the most expensive security system and in a house full of weapons and Raph and Leo so close by; Mikey should not be afraid; no one would hurt him on Don’s watch.

Mikey thought at first it was some tough love from Donnie, for Mikey to grow up and that he was serious in his desire to protect him. Anyway, he could still join Leo in the middle of the night when he felt too lonely and like dead on the inside. It wasn’t long that Mikey changed his mind about Don’s motives. Don didn’t give a shit about him; not really. If he wanted Mikey to not sleep with Leo, it was for other reasons.

His brother in purple had always been a frigging mystery for him, but he finally got an opportunity to push forward his study of his character. When they started their business, a few months after their father's death, Donnie worked from home and Mikey got more to observe. 

Something had definitely changed in Don’s attitude about Leonardo. Mikey wasn’t sure how to call it, because he was inexperienced. He was also still emotionally in shock, and it had been quite subtle at first. 

With his savings, Don bought them clothes, since they were still growing up, but what was odd was that for Leo, Don always chose something matching with his own clothes. One could have believed it was because they were about the same size, but Mikey knew better. Every nicety Don could find, he gifted Leonardo with it. Poor Leon thanked him, even if jacket and tie weren’t his scenes, more Donatello’s. When their father died and Don started their family business, he got more money and so, his gifts turned lavish. He gifted Mikey and Raph as well, but when he bought his own car, he bought a similar one to Leo, only. Raph got none, even if he had a driver’s license. It wasn’t that Raph complained. Raph was too blindly worshipping the ground Donatello walked on. But for Mikey it was odd. Every time Don bought cufflink, neckties, and some other piece of clothing in that wealthy businessman style he loved so much, Leo had a matching one.

As cheesy couples do, Mikey had absentmindedly noted. 

Many times, Mikey had asked why Leo got more fancy stuff than them, Don had replied sternly it was work-related and then, the conversation had to stop there. Mikey wasn’t pointing out Leo’s job didn’t require silk pajamas and luxurious bed sheets. Leo never brought work at home. Mikey didn’t even bother to have that discussion with Don, because first, it was obvious Don had better things to do than talk to him and also, that for three years now, he knew the truth. But even at the time, when he was unaware of Don’s motives; Mikey had been more envious of the quality time Leo got than the material gifts. 

When their father died, there was no one to train them anymore. They were at a very correct fighting level, but Donatello had decided it wasn’t enough. Raph didn’t need any more training; he was a tank. But Donnie enrolled forcefully Leo into intense krav-maga training and a Kali Arnis Eskrima school to make better use of the blades he always carried now. 

But it wasn’t enough and Donnie wanted Leo to be a sharpshooter. Donatello even went as far as going at the shooting range with Leon when he complained about it not being funny alone. Don went seven times with Leo at the shooting range when usually, he barely told them three sentences that weren’t plain orders, daily. When they came back, something had shifted in Donnie’s features, they were more relaxed, like he had almost enjoyed himself, for once. How Leon managed that, Mikey wondered, impressed. But this amazement was overshadowed by a darker thought: Mikey knew Don did so for Leo to be protected, but still, why not him? Mikey got attacked too! 

It was like Donnie didn’t care if it happened to Michelangelo, again. It was like Don knew it was Mikey’s fault, to begin with, that if it wasn’t for Mikey, Leo would have been fine. Leo was too smart to pick a fight he couldn’t win; but since Leo was enough of an idiot to care for Michelangelo, Don wanted to be sure Leo would be fine next time he defended the youngest.

Mikey had felt jealous at the time, but he had not been quite sure of why. Was he jealous of Leo that was giving his attention to someone else, after years having been only busy with him? Or was it that he always craved Don’s attention and was frustrated to not have it and lose the attention of the only person caring for him? 

To say nobody cared for him was exaggerated. Raph loved them a lot. He was very affectionate, liking to snuggle and cuddle and hug. But Mikey couldn’t tell Raph how he felt like wanting to kill himself since Leo got gang-raped in his face because of him. He couldn’t tell Raph about how empty and useless and a hindrance he felt with Donatello ignoring him for years. Raph was too precious to be tainted by such dark comments. Besides, it wasn’t like Raph would advise him or explain Donatello to him. Leo, who was a smooth talker, was struggling to do it, already. 

“Don is busy. He has a lot of stress,” was always Leo’s explanation. He was whispering it between two kisses at night, and Mikey was drinking his words, drowning in Leo’s sweet, soft voice. He lived for these moments when he felt loved. They had to hide they still shared a bed and even more what they were doing in it. They were only kissing and jerking off together, but Don would die on the spot if he found out and separated them and Mikey would die if these moments were ripped from him. 

At the time, Mikey still thought that Don disapproved because of morality and because he wanted Mikey to harden himself. He still believed so, until one evening. How a fool he had been. 

The first sign happened on Don's 18 years birthday, two weeks before Leo’s. Mikey had been a fool enough to bake a cake, but Donnie was locked in his office for hours. They have eaten the cake without him. It was now a tradition. To be more accurate, he had eaten it all with Raph. He was always craving food after having smoked with his friends. Now that the Ramen shop wasn’t open at dinner time, Mikey could hang out with people. They were all mutants and more interested by the cash Leo gave him than himself. Mikey was kinda rich for a 15 years old mutant. He knew they didn’t care genuinely for him, but it was still good to take to get away a few hours a day of Don’s oppressing presence. Anyway, he wasn’t needed at home. When he was coming back, he was taking a long shower to get rid of the smell and he used some drops for his eyes. He knew Leo wasn’t fooled, but with all the wine he drank with his targets it wasn’t like Leo had room to judge. 

Mikey was watching a movie next to Raph. In fact, he was almost on Raph’s lap. The weed had made him mellow. Out of the blue, Mikey noticed how Raph wasn’t touching Leo on the other side. And now that he thought of it, Raphael wasn’t as touchy-feely as he had been before with Leonardo. Since their father died and Raph stopped crying, it was like he kept a distance with their brother, accepting Leo’s touch, but never initiating. 

When Leo had left for work in the flashy car Don bought him, Mikey had asked why. Raph had made what was an odd answer at first.

“Blue is for Purple,” he had said, very embarrassed and then, it clicked together in Mikey’s mind. Raph, the so-called innocent of all of them had guessed something neither Leo nor Don, he could bet, had guessed themselves yet.

Whatever he was aware of not of it, Donnie was treating Leo like his boyfriend or rather, considering how many designer clothes he dressed Leo in, his trophy wife. Raph wasn’t affectionate anymore as he was afraid that their very cold and stern brother would lose his shit if Raph dared to hug Leo too much. 

Of course, Mikey didn’t dare to voice his doubts at first. He was 15 years and wasn’t sure at all if it wasn’t Raph making a weird assumption. Or Don was doing it very unconsciously and not purposefully. After all, Donatello was emotionless and asexual. He had more chances to get hard for a $20 bill than for Leonardo. He had clung to that hope for a week, convincing himself it couldn’t be.

Until their assault, Don had never cared for Leonardo in a specific way. If there was a brother he would put effort into it, it would be Raph, first because he was quiet, and second, because it was like Donnie’s personal charity case. If he spends time teaching someone as challenged as Raph, that means Donnie was a good person and a good brother. Don was obsessed with his image.

But after they came home that day, something definitely changed. There were the matching clothes, the gifts, the time at the shooting range, but Mikey needed more convincing evidence.

His talent had always been to be sneaky and the evening Don had so damn insisted for him to go to the arcade place with a $1000, he had known something was fishy. He had smoked some weed with his mutant buddies and he had come early, very curious. 

Raph was sleeping with an empty ice cream pot on his lap, blissfully unaware in the ramen shop dining room. Mikey had sneaked upstairs and tiptoed to Leo’s bedroom, from where he heard noises. 

To say what he saw had been a shock was an understatement. To say it had been hot was one too. It was the steamiest thing he had ever seen.   
  
Mikey, in his luck, had arrived at the exact minute, it went South. 

Don had been the one making the first move, throwing himself to Leo with the self-restraint of a raccoon at an All-You-Can-Eat Chinese buffet. For a moment, Mikey had wondered if Leo would fight him. Leo would gut whoever tried to force him again, he had told Mikey after the incident. Leo only allowed Mikey because he loved him and trusted him and well, it wasn’t the full service, neither. That was the only love they would never get.

But to Mikey stupor-disappointment?-Leo didn’t fight Donnie at all. Leon had moaned so wantonly-in a way he never did with Mikey-and the place had been filled with such a thick pheromone scent, that the youngest had known Leo had found his match and it wasn’t him. 

He had thought of his brother, so charismatic and confident, as a top, but it seemed he had guessed wrong. How Leo begged to be filled and fucked showed Mikey had misjudged. But it also meant that Leo couldn’t be content with little Mikey’s hand. Don’s cock was obviously better. Mikey just lost the only moment besides cooking he felt good and useful. It hurt.

He had watched them the whole night, half envious, half turned on. Who could have guessed Don could have that much passion and stamina? Mikey had lost the count of rounds, but it was like Don had been dipped in viagra and couldn’t let it go from Leo. Leonardo wasn't complaining either, moaning, wailing, calling Don’s name over and over and Mikey have grinded his teeth. He would have liked Leon for him alone, but the fact was that never Leo had reacted as much at his touch as he did for Donnie. They shared words of love, calling each other pet names as bewitched lovers would do, and, for one moment, Mikey had thought about either barging in there to stop them or join them or rather, jump from the window. 

But he had stayed quiet, not wanting to rain on his sibling parade, pulling hard on his cock as Don trusted into Leo’s body ruthlessly. He couldn’t believe he would bust a nut to them but damn, even if he was jealous it was too hot. Leo’s body was incredibly supple and Don was bending him in various positions, to get a better angle to fuck the shit out of Leo. He used Leon’s long legs as props to get deeper, sweat running from his forehead to his muscular shoulder. From his spot, Mikey never got to have a full view of Donnie’s face but he could tell by how hard he was pounding into Leo that his expression must be feral. 

How long Don had wanted Leo, Mikey had wondered, because it was fucking obvious he was making up for years of self-restraint, biting and marking Leonardo as he just regressed into his animal stade. He had a thought for Raph, supposedly slow, but more perceptive than any of them. Raph knew Don wanted Leo. Did Don confide in Raph? It was very unlikely, Donnie was leaving no one in. Whatever how he knew it, the question was what did Raph think of it? It didn’t look like Raph was judging Donnie, but it meant nothing. Raphael had been drilled to listen to Don’s every command for almost two decades. Their father had flaws, but he loved Raphael deeply and didn’t want Raph to get in trouble for his innocence. He had told him to “listen to Purple all the time because Purple knew better than anyone or Blue if Purple wasn’t there.” 

Again, Mikey wasn’t mentioned anywhere. For their father, Mikey was the kitchen slavey and nothing more. But that meant that if Don wanted to cut Raph’s dick, Raphael was very likely to let him do it. So, even if Donnie was a hypocritical, naughty incestuous bastard, Raph would just cheer for him. Now, it was obvious why Don had made a fuss over them sleeping together. The son of a bitch had been jealous and had been scared Leo made a move on Mikey or the other way around.

At some moment, Leo had passed out and Don, who had seemed out of it the whole time, had taken his senses back when Leo turned unresponsive. He had pulled out, tucked Leo in bed, and cleaned the room as nothing had happened. He had opened a window for the room to get fresh air and had walked to the bathroom to clean himself and got Leo some water. He had left the glass on the nightstand with two pills and Mikey could be still upset, Don’s aftercare for Leon stirred him.

Mikey had used the momentum to sneak back to his room, his heart racing as crazy, wondering what it could mean for the future, for his brothers and for him.

Leonardo had been the aim of his fantasy for years and to get him snatched away like that was hard, but Mikey wasn’t dumb. He was barely taller than 5’ foot and he had girly features. He had not much experience, but he knew he had a thing for being dominated.

He knew now he couldn’t be the lover Leo seemed to need and he loved his brother too much to be a hindrance to his happiness. He even loved Don too much, the big jerk, even if Don never loved him at all. 

So, despite his aching heart, Mikey had decided to root for them, admitting Don gave a damn about Mikey’s opinion. The whole night he had jerked himself raw to distract his mind about he would be lonely if Don and Leo were a thing. Don couldn’t even stand someone touching his mug, so Mikey didn’t need rocket science lessons to know that to share Leo would be a big no. 

But the next day, Don didn’t even get out of his office. Mikey thought Donnie was feeling awkward, but it didn’t improve. Donatello, despite his busy schedule, always made a big deal to share at least one meal by day with his brothers. But, from then, it happens once every two months as he could not breathe in the same room Leo was.

Leo had been confused, then, angry. Of course, he was: he got his ass fucked and then, Don was acting as they were not even brothers, but CEO and CEO assistant. As Don grew colder, as he spoiled Leo in an even crazier way than before. Mikey didn’t mind not being paid when Leo got a $140,000 watch. He loved Leo and well, Leo was very sharing, giving him pocket money as an indulgent mom, behind the back of the strict father. So no, Mikey wouldn't complain about the expensive watch, neither the pricey clothes and perfume when Leo was probably feeling miserable to have got fucked and ditched as he was a cheap whore. 

In the first months, Mikey had shut up, keeping what he had witnessed for himself. But Leo was now gloomy and edgy and he always returned from his mission with his tongue darkened by red wine and smelling sex. Until then, he had his honey trap job mostly for fun, but now, Leo seemed to start to feel a twisted pleasure to make people fall for him and left them in the dust after. When he had to assist Raph, there was no hesitation at all in Leo’s move. His knife was swirling in his hand as a deadly butterfly. It was beautiful to watch, but slightly disturbing, even for Mikey’s standard. The rest of the time, Leo was busy being drop-dead gorgeous and sexy. No wonder their shop was getting busy. The horny human guys were coming to try to get a piece of Leon. 

Meanwhile, Don was business-driven as he wanted to grab the first position of Forbes 500. He rewarded his brothers and congratulated them for their good job with his best attempt at a smile. Sometimes, he noticed Mikey, but it was like for Mikey to stop being transparent, he had to stand up next to Leo. It was obvious that in some way Leo’s charm routine was reaching at Don. When Leo wasn’t looking, DoN’s gaze was glued to Leo’s shell. Since Mikey was like a ghost to Donnie, most of the time, Donatello forgot Mikey was there, watching him watching Leo. While Don wasn't watching, Leo was either glaring at him or gazing at him with longing, depending on how horny he felt, playing with his knife at the shop counter, like he wondered if he should stab Don with it or use the knife to nail him on the ground and hump him. There was no way Don didn't feel it, even if obviously feelings wasn't Don's expertise field. 

Why Don wasn’t confessing already they pass to another call and move on? Why did Don deny to them-and himself-happiness for fuck sake? Mikey was sure as hell Leo would rather being made love to than getting those ridiculous fancy items. If Don just admitted he wanted Leo for himself alone, his brother would stop acting like a slut. It was only a call for attention, but it was like Donatello, supposedly so smart, didn't get it!

During all these cat and mice games, anxiety poured from Raph. His big brother was very intuitive, who knows what he perceived?

At some point, Leo had cracked and asked Mikey to tail Don. That was something Mikey do well. Did Donnie have someone else, Leo wanted to know without asking for it straightforwardly. Leo was as proud-or stupid? as Donnie. In the end, Don didn’t have someone really, but it had been a shock for Leonardo to know what Don was doing in some fancy hotel.

Mikey hadn’t told Leo, but he knew already for quite a while that Don’s overly driven personality wasn’t all-natural. Don was less great had he thought to hide. But when Leo had known about the call-girl, he had been pretty angry. Mikey had said it wasn’t biggie and that Donnie didn’t care about them the slightest, but Leo had been mad and upset and had fallen in a spiral of sex and cocktail. He was still doing his job very professionally, as he still wanted to keep Don’s appreciation, but besides that, Leo provoked Don the most that he could.

Mikey wouldn't let his family fall apart. If Don wanted to be an asshole, fine. But Leo had always been nice to everyone and he didn’t deserve to be treated like that. So, the night Mikey turned 16 years old, he sneaked in Leo’s bedroom. After having said he knew everything, he offered himself, even if he knew he could not make Leo moan in pleasure as Donnie did. Leo couldn’t turn him down, because Mikey wanted to experiment sex and wanted his first time with someone he trusted, he had argued. Besides, Mikey wouldn’t act like a jerk as Donnie did and he knew Leo wouldn’t, neither. 

Mikey wasn’t sure how he made his point across but what he knew was that Leo was an amazing lover. The trickiest part was they had to stay quiet and since Leo knew Mikey couldn’t keep it down, they had sneaked out by Leo’s window and rented a motel room.

The sensation to be filled had been mind-blowing and Mikey had asked more and more from it. He wanted Leo to be rougher, he wanted to be bitten, he wanted to be claimed, possessed. But even if he could tell Leo tried very hard to satisfy him, something was off. 

He knew what: Leo could love him; he wasn’t the one Leo wanted as a mate. Their mating was only a pity fuck. Leonardo was now used to sleeping with people. At some point, he had understood to keep himself for Donnie was pointless. He had offered sexual service and made sure Don knew about it, rubbing in his face the best he could, by not taking a shower or dropping condoms everywhere. Mikey could tell it was crawling under Don’s skin. It was obvious Don wanted Leo and hated everything about the situation, but he was too much of a prideful motherfucker to admit it. So, because he wanted them happy, Mikey was teaming with Leo to make Don snap every opportunity they got. As Leo had grown more belligerent and provocative, Mikey had as well. But sometimes, loneliness hit him too harshly and he sneaked out of their house. 

At this point, Mikey has sex as often as Leo and had tried everything. But he felt even worse than with Leo. A few months ago, Mikey had been too ambitious. He had got fucked raw by two rhino guys. Safe sex practice was beyond him; he didn’t truly care what could happen to him. He was useless; even for the family business. His missions were so lame and bringing so little dough, it wouldn’t make a difference for Donnie’s posh lifestyle if Mikey just died and couldn’t work. 

That night, he had to crawl his way home. Leo was working, wining and dining a target, and Don was locked in his office. Raph was the one having greeted him home and he had been pretty upset. He had lifted Mikey like he was a feather and I ran him a bath as he was a child. Raph had cried the whole time again, making Mikey feel like a scumbag. Raphael probably thought Mikey had been attacked again, because Raph didn’t understand sex. And then, realization struck him. He had no idea if Raph didn’t know about sex. Raphael had shown many times he was more frozen by anxiety and choked by trauma than stupid. Raph knew Don wanted Leo before Leo himself got a clue. But what he was sure it's that Raph was a loving person, very sweet and affectionate when Don didn’t ask him to beat someone to death. 

What he was sure too was that Raph must have a damn huge cock. He had a shiver picturing it ramming into him as ruthlessly Don had plowed Leo. 

And now, for seven months straight, Raph was Mikey’s obsession, featured in all his fantasies. He wanted his brother's big cock breaching him. It would be painful as fuck and maybe wreck him for good, but Mikey didn’t mind. He deserved to suffer for Leo’s ordeal six years ago and also, to be a useless piece of shit. Leo could try to convince him he wasn’t, Mikey felt like that since the first time Don landed his eyes on him. He was barely existing, he only managed to be noticed when he misbehaved. Then, he got spanked. Sometimes, he tried to find it arousing. 

Mikey had told Leo about his desire to be with Raph after having hesitated, but he trusted Leo with his life. Leonardo had not disapproved but had shown reservations. Acting like his mommy, again. What he has to do to be considered as an adult?

“You know how Raph is; he could get carried away and hurt you in a way you wouldn’t find pleasurable,” Leo had warned him. Mikey knew it was common sense. Raph when he started to get excited had to be stopped by his brothers. But he would listen to Mikey, then. Anyway, he didn’t mind getting hurt. “It could be dangerous if you are alone and if you upset Raph, even without meaning it and Donnie know about it; he would be mad and that is an understatement,” Leo had continued. “You know how he is with Raph. You will get grounded for your life or send to that mutant boot camp he threatened out with.”

But it was only motivating Mikey furthermore. If Leo was Donnie’s trophy wife, Raph was Donnie’s precious princess in distress. Raph must be left alone, out of work, and be pleased at every opportunity. The very few times Don managed a convincing smile, it was because of Raphael. If Mikey makes a move, feels Raph up and Raph didn’t like it and complains to Don, Donatello would slice Mikey’s junk. But to get at Don after he had made Leo and Mikey felt like shit for years was a thrilling prospect. 

But as if Don had guessed Mikey’s intentions, he had just decided to control them a little more. Mikey knew Leo wouldn’t backstab him by touching Raph. Anyway, Leo wasn’t seeing Raph that way at all. But if Donnie slept in his room, Mikey couldn’t even sneak out to get the dicking and fresh air he needed to stay sane.

How could he make Raph understand how he feels? When he had just gathered the courage to try, Don had decided to breathe on his neck. And all of it was because Don was jealous as hell and wanted to be sure Leo was cockblocked by Raph and got no hanky-panky. It wasn't like he could do it himself; obviously, Donatello didn't trust his famous self-control with Leonardo. 

Suddenly, a weird odor came to his nose. He sniffed, recognizing it and his eyes snapped open in realization. It was Leo’s musk and another scent as well. He smelled it before; it was Don’s and Leo’s scent mingled together. 

Mikey removed his earbuds. Yes, he could hear it now:

“Fuck you, Leo!” Don growled.

Mikey got off from his bed, hopeful. Don could try to sound angry, his voice was thick with arousal. Anyway, the scent couldn’t lie. He opened his door and the moans and groans told him everything. Leo had managed to break Don’s wall. He had cracked the door open and his eyes shone with lust immediately as the pheromone hit him in full face. 

Donnie was literally stabbing Leo with his dick and Leo’s moans, cries, churr, and chirps made Mikey’s groin tingle. Don didn’t even bother to undress, too aroused to think straight. He was so far gone; he didn’t tell Leo to pipe down, when Raph was downstairs, awake. 

Mikey reached for his cock when he stopped his move. Raph was alone downstairs, in a happy mood because of breakfast. Maybe it was a good moment. Even if Raph yelped, Don couldn’t scold Mikey without being a fucking double-faced bastard. 

His heart racing Mikey climbed down the stairs. Raph was there, in the middle of the conference room, his arms slack, probably wondering where everyone went and if he would get punished. But his green eyes gleamed to see Mikey and he opened his arms. Eagerly, Mikey threw himself to Raph, indulging in the hug. How Raph would be in sex, he wondered again, trembling with excitation. Raph only showed passion for music, little animals, food, and his siblings and was very careful with his belongings. Raph called him baby and always said Mikey was cute and pretty. Leo said it too, but it wasn’t the same. Every word spoken by Raph was the naked truth. Mikey was sure he would feel loved and precious and the very rough sex would put his mind at ease. 

“Raph, I want to try something. Just let yourself go,” Mikey murmured. He didn’t like to talk to Raph like he was a baby, as Don does.“I will make you feel amazing.”

He kissed him, trying to open Raph's mouth and made him feel his piercing jewel. Raph let him and, encouraged, Mikey ran his hand down Raph’s plastron, and cupped Raph’s groin the best he could with his small hand, but immediately Raph slapped his hand away, not harshly, but it was a very clear refusal. Mikey looked up, upset.

“Bad.” Raph choked out, his eyes wide as he saw a ghost. Why was he overreacting that much? Mikey didn’t hurt him, right? Why did no one want him? How many times a guy can be turned down without losing his mind? Even Leo wasn’t in the mood anymore.

“So you think I’m bad too,” Mikey snarled, so hurt and wounded, he could just stab himself with the knife that was just on the table. 

Raphael winced away, covering his head as he was scared to death when he was twice Mikey’s size and didn’t bust skull thrice a week. “Fuck you!” Mikey shouted, furious and desperate to be refused and rejected by everyone. He walked to the office, opened the safe, took the money, and snatched Donnie’s keys. Well, it was now Raph’s keys, right? And Raph just hurt him so much! 

“Since I’m so bad, I’m gonna see people that like me better.”

Raph tried to grab him but Raph could be a beefcake, he was too slow for Mikey. He slid away and get outside. Raph was caught; not daring to step out of their house. Don has forbidden him to go outside without his permission. For once, Mikey was fine with that.

Mikey was well determined to never come back. 


	9. Interlude: Leo's portrait by Boxfish

* * *

**Leonardo**

**Nicknames: Leo, Leon, Nardo (when Don is pissed)**

**Birthday: July 24**

**Age: 21**

**Height: 6'3**

**Position: Waiter/Honey Trap/Raph's sidekick**

**Sexual position: Can switch +++PowerBottom**

**Ability: Blade, martial art, flirting, rising Don's blood pressure. He is a silver-tongued bastard but his tongue is skilled for other things as well.**

**Weapon: Knifes**


	10. Boulevard of the Broken Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How to make a 7,500-words long chapter and don't advance the plot a tiny bit; a seminar offered by Caro.  
> No beta. Art to come. Go check on that story in the next week. I have two amazing pieces to come. I don't want to do a chapter every time I got a new one. If you are interested to know when art is posted, tell me by leaving a comment.

He just told the cops about his car having been stolen when he got a flash. With still his cigarette pinched between his lips, he slammed open the door and, with great stride, walked out of his office.

Leo was still there, sat at the shop counter, typing on his phone in his bathrobe. Relief overwhelmed Don briefly to see Leo was still there and didn’t run away to join Mikey. He wasn’t sure yet if the two brothers schemed that together. It could be. He rushed to Leo.

“Go get dressed!” he shouted. He crushed his cigarette on a plate and yanked Leo at him. “You know Mikey, right? He is your son by proxy!” He was shaking Leo, frustrated and scared about how expressionless Leo was staring back at him like Don was a stranger. 

He couldn’t afford to lose another brother. That’s why he had been relieved to see Leo was still there and not running away from their home to make la Vida Loca with Mikey in Brazil or who’s know. Leo loved much more Mikey than him, now. Well, he always had. If Leo runs away from him, he could pile up all their saving and burn it for what he cares. He should even climb that funeral pyre up; nothing would have a meaning anymore. “We will search for him together!”

“Baby’s gone. Big Red is a bad boy,” Raph sobbed loudly, wiping his eyes. He slowly kneeled on the ground, ready to get smacked or punished.

It was taking the cake. Every time Raph cried and asked for punishment, Don felt like shattering. Crack means to leave full of openings and weak spots on the invisible armor Donatello was wrapped in, and it would be dangerous. But he was feeling like dying every single time Raph still acted as a traumatized boy. He had spent years trying to make Raph felt safe and strong and protected. No one ever raised its hand on Raph since his adoption. The few times Raphael had misbehaved, Donnie just forbade sweet for a day. It was enough of a punishment for Raphael. When he was away, Leonardo as acted as a doting mom with him; he was sure of it. So why?

To see Raph’s devasted face was too much, he couldn’t even look at it. How dare Mikey make Raph cry? Michelangelo should be ashamed of himself and Don would make sure he would, when he would get his hand on him.

He snatched Leo’s wrist and he felt the tension in Leo’s arm for one moment. Leon had a first move to reach for a knife and, even if he changed his mind and kept his arm slack, it’s hurt. Leo acted as a traumatized boy, too. Despite the empire Donnie was trying to built to keep them safe, they weren’t healed yet. What should he do more for them? Their safety was what driven Don to keep adding figures to their bank account, his eyes shining with greediness, not caring to destroy others’ lives if that mean shielding his brothers. He wanted them to be so high, they would be out of reach to humans. To give them an existence anxiety-free before reaching 35 years old was Donatello’s dream. He aimed at that first thing in the morning every single day. Why were too so ungrateful that they ran away?

“This isn’t your fault, Raph; it’s mine,” Donatello muttered darkly. He dragged Leo who didn’t fight him. “I told you I will watch Baby and you have to watch Blue.” 

He squared his jaws, thinking again at the activity he was engrossed in, instead of watching over Michelangelo. It had felt so insanely good. Leonardo was an incredible sex partner and damn, Donnie wanted him so much. He wanted Leon as his lover for years. It was a sentence he never completed mentally so far, but he could admit it to himself, at this point. It wasn't like someone could read his mind and his face was trained to show nothing. But he had always known it was wrong and would pay back badly if he indulged in the temptation. He felt validated now.

“We will look for Baby. Blue is coming with me. Red stay there in case Baby come back.”

"Stop pulling on my arm," Leo growled as Don dragged him upstairs. "I can climb the stairs alone just fine!"

"I won't leave you!" Don snapped fiercely before sucking in a deep breath. He was acting all crazy again and he was ashamed of his lack of control. He had already too messed up listening to his inner beast for the day. “I need you,” he said in a calmer tone. When he tried to sound more vulnerable, Leo was more willing to listen. “We need to find Micheal.”

He pushed the door open and the memory of his sin-or even worse, his mistake, hit him full face. Leo's room still reeked sex and sweat and Don walked with great strides to the window, opening it. Maybe he should add bars to the window, he considered. Leo was reckless enough to not be afraid to jump from two stories. Yes, the whole place needed a far better security system. He had been too neglectful. It won't happen anymore. 

He opened the door leading to Leo's and Mikey's bathroom.

"Take a quick shower to get rid of the smell," he demanded, his voice clipped and a little hoarse. Leo has Don's scent still on him and he couldn't think straight. The whole room smelled of their scents mingled together. It was too appealing. "I will get your clothes," he managed to say the sterner he could.

Leo dropped the luxurious bathrobe with a disdainful shoulder move, revealing his naked body with still dried semen on his plastron. Only remained the knife tied and the blue bandana on his face. He walked to the shower, as he was a model on the catwalk, his face in a frown and looking in the distance as Don was a miserable paparazzi.

Donatello bit his lips and glanced away. Why did Leo have to make a show of it again? Why was he displaying his body indecently when he was the cause Mikey could run away?

Could Leo read the atmosphere and understood it was serious, for god sake?

"You will get me a suit fitting for a "Search my runaway brother,"? Leo sneered, sliding the shower door open in a harsh move. “And what’ is wrong about my smell?”

"Stop it." Don glared at Leo. How did he dare not to know lust poured from him? "Stop being difficult. It's not the time for your sassiness, in case you didn't notice! Micheal is gone!"

“Are you not more missing your cash?”Leo dropped with heavy sarcasm. “Don’t sweat it; you know you will have back being my pimp.”

“How dare you?” Donnie glared at him, but Leo coldly stared back. “He is my brother, too.” His eyes twitched like every time Leo called him his pimp. “Call me your pimp again and I will get you chemically neutered.” Don didn’t mean it, of course, but that insult was getting too much under his skin. “You will be free of your never-ending horniness,” he growled. 

His eyes landed on the bitemark, oozing from blood droplet, not dried yet, reddish around the edge of the puncture mark, looking nasty, and about to get infected. Remorse to be so harsh when he had been the one losing his mind with lust took him. He wasn’t an animal; he had sworn to never get that low. He repressed the ugly part in him that was thrilled to have left a mark so deep, it would never fade completely. Was he a lunatic?

“Clean that wound,” he said, trying to sound steady. He would not run away from his responsibility. He did bite Leo after having slapped him yesterday. What was wrong with him? “We don’t need it to be infected and you to catch a fever.”

With a scowl, Leo stepped in the shower and Don stayed from the other side, his hand on his chest as he allowed himself to feel anxiety now that no one could see him. There was a window in the bathroom too. It was too narrow for Leo's hips and shoulders but Mikey could pass there. How he never noticed before their home wasn't safe? 

The answer was easy to tell. It was because he was troubled by those lewd thoughts.

His shell against the shower, he thought back at the first time he knew something was wrong with him. It all started with a dream as stupid and cheesy it was.

He was about 14 years old and in his second year in High School thanks to whatever bribe the Baron Draxum-who was he, anyway? had given to his school. The dream had been disturbing; because it had been so clear, the memory was still vivid in the morning. Leonardo was underneath him, crying and begging while Don was pressed against him, bitting him hard. It had been a dark, twisted dream, but Don must have enjoyed it a lot because his bedsheets were sticky when he woke up, he had realized with shame. The teacher told them what that means and even if Don knew it was a normal physical reaction, the reasons behind it were disgraceful. 

The memory of it had lingered the whole day, weighing on him, and he even got scolded to be daydreaming in class, something that had never happened to him. He had decided to push it back, to ignore it. If there’s something Donatello was taking it seriously; it was school. If he wanted to be something better than a Ramen Shop manager; he had to work hard. Working hard was easy. He had learned very early at the orphanage that one has to be useful if one didn’t want to be mistreated. They were all abandoned experiments or children. To not be discarded anymore, Donatello must be valuable, or if possible, essential.

In a way, he had been lucky to get adopted by a man with so poor life skills. Splinter barely knew hygiene and Don, at 3 years old, had been shocked that the shop kitchen was such a health hazard. He never went to a restaurant, but he had seen the orphanage being inspected by some people. There were the days they hid Raph for the inspector to not see his black eyes. But Don remembered the kitchen must be spotless or the orphanage would get in trouble. He didn’t want the inspectors to come here, discovering the place wasn’t sanitary for children, and send them again to the orphanage or separate them. 

Follow some simple rules and everything would be fine, his mind repeated him all the time.

He had read the book “Starting a business for Dummies,” Splinter had. Splinter was obviously even worse than a dummy because he had not even been able to follow a step by step manual. So, Donnie had asked to rent more serious books at the library, and very quickly after, he had started running the whole place.

Don had replaced Splinter as the shop manager, but it wasn’t enough. Splinter didn’t even bother to buy the book “Raising kids for dummies,” admitting that one exists. So, Don decided he would replace him as the father of his brothers. 

Because at the time, he wanted to be loved by them. Loving was caring, and his first goal was to be sure to fill their basic needs, having a safe home, be feed, and be healthy. 

To show he cared, he made them a schedule, monitoring a balanced day with time for outdoor exercise, training, study, hygiene, and then, playtime, because Donatello understood that for children like his brothers were, playtime was important. He also checked what they eat, allowing them only healthy snacks. But Splinter was shoving chocolate bar in Raph’s mouth behind his back and Leo was doing the same with Mikey.

It was like Splinter was his fourth son, for fuck sake. 

They didn’t seem to understand at first he wasn’t a kid like them. It wasn’t that Don liked to refuse to play with them, he just didn’t have the time, really. But they keep insisting and Don was growing impatient and harsher in his refusal. Could they understand that the bills wouldn’t be paid by themselves? Someone must make that place run for them to have food. Raph, by himself, was eating like three adults.

At some point, they got it and stopped asking.

The shop was doing well. Even from school, he watched over Splinter supposed to watch over the shop. He got his first cell phone at 7 years old, way before his classmates, despite them being poor. But even Splinter had agreed it was an investissement if that means Don could keep his eyes on the business from the distance. Because school was demanding and he can’t be there as he wished.

His Catholic private school wasn’t joking with studies and it was fine by Don’s standard. He was determined to get a degree in management and turn the ramen shop into a multinational chain, at least.

Don knew what a healthy lifestyle was and how it was essential to look healthy. If you look good and follow the rules, nothing bad could happen. Napoleon was sleeping four hours a day only and was rested enough to manage an Empire. He knew he was a teen and needed more sleep and so, he allowed himself to sleep five hours a day. But, when that little time off he had got plagued with dark fantasies, despite all his attempts in the day time to forget about it, he didn’t know what to do anymore. 

Every morning, he felt ashamed of himself: Leonardo was his only reliable brother and Don would never hurt him. His brothers were precious to him, but Leo was even more because he was helpful and trustworthy. If Don didn’t crack to be the father of four children and a shop manager when he should be in elementary school, it was thank to him. Don knew he could trust Leonardo to be sure everyone was feed and the house was tidy when he was away. He knew Leo would keep an eye on Raph and Mikey, for them to not get in trouble. When Don would be back on weekend, he would be greeted by Leo’s kind face. Leo’s smile was his reward; it meant he had managed to protect his family one more week. 

Since when Leo wasn’t smiling at him, anymore, Don wondered and he turned toward Leonardo’s form still under the running water. He pressed his forehead with a shaky sight. Somewhere, he lost that. One couldn’t climb to success without losing a few things. 

How precious Leo was to him had made Donnie’s dreams even more wicked and unwelcomed by his rational brain. At one moment, the bags he had under his eyes had been noticed by his homeroom teacher.

He was the only teacher in the whole school to be a mutant. The other teachers and students were calling him Leatherhead because as Don, he was a reptile. This is why Don looked up at him. Despite being a mutant, Leatherhead was successful: a beyond great biology teacher and also searcher in a lab specialized in mutanlogy. He was always calm and composed and in control of his students. Don felt comfortable enough around his teacher to admit not sleeping well and explain the reason briefly, despite being embarrassed.

Professor Leatherhead did not mock him. It appeared that what Donnie thought was violence against Leonardo was in fact mating, the Professor had explained. Leatherhead had given him the Talk, that Splinter never gave him. 

Of course, Don knew where babies came from, but he never got the talk adapted to the reptile species. When the teacher told them about it in sixth grade, she had told them sex was Evil if it wasn’t for reproduction purposes. Donatello didn’t believe in “Evil,” despite being in that very strict Catholic school for years. But he knew that he had to follow the rules and pretend to pray and believe God had a mission for him. So, when she said it was sinful and evil, Donatello had nodded with emotionless obedience. It was the only time sex was mentioned in the whole building from what he was aware of. 

For him, sex was either a mechanical process or the syrupy lovemaking with kisses and whimpers from the PG rating movies his brothers watched. It wasn’t something that had ever interested him, so far. The idea of touching and being touched or kissed had always made him gag. But he respected too much the Professor to doubt he was right. The more Leatherhead explained, the more awkward he felt, and Don was almost praying to fall in a hole at some point when the Professor told him about how Softshell turtles were aggressive animals, that could drown the female they mated with, in their sexual haze. They were also promiscuous and driven to mate very young, he had said. The way his teacher explained it, Don could be turned into a mindless creature because of sex. It was the opposite of Don’s nature and what he aimed to be. He wasn’t an animal; he refused to be one. An animal was more likely to get abandoned and kicked away. At the orphanage, they called Raph an animal and a monster because he got claw and sharp teeth and was slow to learn how to talk. Don had as well but was far better to hide them, apparently. He had learned to speak very quickly.

In short, Professor Leatherhead told Donnie it was a normal life stage and that until he get laid he would be doomed to have those kinds of dreams. Don could not care for sex during his awake time, his body was ready and told him what its craved, using his subconscious. He suggested that, until Don found a partner, he took care of it himself. Because as a reptilian mutant himself, he knew how hard it was to find a sexual partner.

To be explained how to masturbate by his homeroom teacher and explained where he could find inspiring material was the more awkward moment of Donnie’s life, but he was still very good at the time to keep an undazed front.

Of course, Donatello kept down his own brother was featured in those dreams. He didn’t need his brain to know it was wrong, not that he knew what he was doing in his dreams. Even in the day now, he started to picture Leo’s green and supple body glistening with sweat, rocking gracefully underneath him, his black eyes shining with lust. It was maddening; worse, it was distracting and it needed to stop having those dangerous lecherous thoughts before his grades got bad or he fucked up the shop accounts.

He didn’t understand why he was cursed to be attracted to his own brother or even to be attracted, period. Don wasn’t a sentimental person, to begin with. Of course, he loved his family and well, April, but what he felt right now was kind of painful. He never felt attraction before or looked at a human or any male mutant in this way. Leo had always been the brother he was getting along the best with since Leo was helpful and clever and quick-witted. Splinter called them the twins. Was it the reason his libido chose him? Donatello wasn’t a guy lead by feelings or imagination, but he didn’t need to be a wizard to guess it would end badly and mess up the family if he acted on his desire. Raph was already traumatized enough by the molesting and the beating he got in his youth without seeing his more sensible brother lusting for one of their siblings.

He started to dread coming home and face Leo as if his subconscious will show in his face. He worked harder at school and while dealing with the shop, he studied business management through the textbooks as he was already sitting at the University. He even managed to enroll with fake papers and Leatherhead’s help in an online university program, in Computer and Information Science with a Major in Cybersecurity Track. He didn’t mind if he couldn’t get an official degree. He needed to gather knowledge and skills to protect his family and himself better eventually. To be able to hack a computer was an undeniable plus-value.

So, he was leading his prep school student life, managed the shop, and studied like crazy two University programs. The important thing was also that he was so busy and exhausted, he couldn’t dream anymore. Anyway, who needed dreams at night? The daily ambition was enough.

Indeed for the next eighteen-months, following his talk with the Professor, his mind was too numb to even dream. He tried to not be neglectful and stay involved in his brother’s studies and progress. Since Leo had good grades, Don never overly-checked, but when he larnt that Leonardo would stay one year more in middle school, he had been shocked in a bad way. He had scolded his brother and told him how disappointed he was, after having practiced his expression a long time beforehand in his mirror. 

How could Don know Leo fucked up his exam on purpose? How could he know Mikey was bullied at school? Was it his fault if Leo had hidden the information from him? If he had known, he would have found a way to make it stop. Leo was at fault there! 

It was around that time Leo stopped smiling at him. 

It was also around that time Don started smoking and discovered micro-dosing with his homeroom teacher. He was a caffeine addict since he was ten already, and coffeed wasn’t enough anymore for him to perform. He was in a hurry to get a degree and rich and so, be able to give his brothers a better life than working in a Ramen shop. When they would be rich, they would be happy finally and Leonardo would smile at him again. It was the prospect that was driving him to push his limits further.

But as Don was trying to choke his puberty, the phenomenon had changed his brother’s body. Donatello noticed it one day, after having avoided looking at Leon for three-or was it four- months straight. His grown-spurt was mostly in those endlessly long, glistening, curvy legs of his. Something was different in his way of moving too. And what about when Leo bent over to pick up something wearing only a too slack t-shirt? His cute, little tail was popping out, begging to be touched, magnifying his firm, bouncy ass. The first time he had caught himself staring at his brother’s lower back, Don had made a beeline to the shower, turning the cold water full blast. He had shivered until the icy water, refusing to touch himself despite being titanium hard. It had then laid down a rule about it was from now on forbidden to walk half-naked, but he had clever enough to state it the next day when Mikey was walking butt naked. No one could have the suspicion Donatello was troubled. To feel troubled was so counterproductive. Nevertheless, the dreams had started again despite his mental exhaustion, and then, it happened. 

The day of the assault.

Don had taken the new as a brick bag had fallen on his head. Somewhere, even if he knew it was irrational, Don had felt Leo had paid for his sinful incestuous fantasies.

Since then, he had been obsessed with the idea of making up for it. He would make them so rich, so powerful and so dangerous, they couldn’t be hurt, anymore. No one would ever dare to mess with any of Don’s brothers if they were trained assassins. It had been the first time he had told their father a piece of his mind, calling him a useless old rat. Usually, Don was all cold politeness with it. Being angry was so unelegant and it was also exposing weakness. Any too raw feelings were. It reminded him of the bad people at the orphanage, their face expressing malice and hatred. How hideous and terrifying they were, just turned on more by Raph’s cries and pleas. Don had vowed to never look like them, never like Raph, either.

Follow the rules, work hard, look the best you could, and shut down any strong feelings and no one could get at you. 

But that time after the assault, he couldn’t hold back. He had given Leo $75 to bring Raph and Mikey to the movie theater and have a pizza to scream and have a fit in private with their so-called father. 

The only thing Splinter was supposed to be great with was martial arts, so why did Mikey and Leo lose the fight? That guy had only one job to do and failed at it? How did he dare to be so incompetent when Donnie was working so hard for them? He blamed Splinter’s negligence and his lack of discipline. He had told him that if his brothers weren’t elite karateka in one year from now, Don would move and bring them away. Without Donatello, his business would get into bankruptcy in three months. He wasn’t sure to remember what he had exactly said, he had been too far mad.

Their father had promised to extend the training and told him he loved them but for Don, it couldn’t love without caring, and caring means to be sure to keep safe the loved ones. But it seemed the incident-or was it Don’s scene? had an impact on Splinter’s health. When Leo had texted him about their father not going well and if they could afford the hospital, Don had dropped everything to first know how much it was true and then, got an official paper to be his brother’s tutor, at least Raph and Mikey. Their father had refused to go to the hospital, even if Donnie had finally calculated they could afford Splinter go there for a few tests and a two days stay.

“That old man didn’t deserve your money,” had been his last words and Leo had been pretty upset about the fact that Splinter’s last word had been money. Donnie didn’t get why; it was a word like another.

But the fact was that, when Splinter finally died, his brothers had indeed improved their fighting skills. With his own saving from his tech support job, Don had enrolled Leo into the best fighting club, some with questionable legality, but the important thing was that Leo could kill anything in a blink if needed, with only a paper clip. 

To be sure Leon was deadly, he even went to the shooting range with him. He could tell his brothers were surprised. Don was the less likely to get in a fight, they thought. Of course, it was because they weren’t there when Donatello had blown a gasket to Splinter. Donnie didn’t tell the real reason he accompanied Leo at the shooting range. Yes, it was bonding time and he admitted having liked it, but he wanted to sharpen his skills as well. To know to shot was mandatory if he wanted to protect them better. He knew the basics of martial art, but mostly on the defensive. As a softshell turtle, he could easily get hurt. So, he needed a weapon with a long-range. This is why he went to the shooting range the following day of his brother’s assault, without telling. It was a stress relief as another to shot, picturing the unknown face of the aggressors. This is why he always had a gun in his desk drawer and under the car seat too. Don wouldn’t allow something to happens to his brothers again-neither to the security safe.

He had also bought him clothes, very classical, covering his body to dim Leo’s sexiness, in a way to protect him from horny guys. If Leo could arouse someone as sensible and business-oriented as Don, everyone was a possible predator. Leo’s virginity was important to him, he didn’t want his brother to turn a wreck like Don felt he was. 

Donatello had stayed out of Leo’s reach as well to protect him from his wicked carnal desires. He was now so used to repress them, he barely felt them anymore, until recently. He had been enough busy with setting their new family business. The idea had come at him in a good moment to distract his mind. It had worked for a few years. To push Leo into the honey trap business had also been a desperate attempt to convince himself he didn’t see Leo this way. Anyway, it was more playing pretend. It was also to fool Michelangelo that always watched him with sharp eyes. It had been bearable at first, but now, since Leo had pushed further, he hated that.

He so did everything to just kill his attraction for his brother. 

Donnie had rented a call-girl for his seventeenth birthday, knowing with so much money, he wouldn’t be rejected. Perhaps, if he had sex, his attraction for Leo would fade and he wasn,t hurting anyone. That too worked for a few months, but he felt something was off and he was too used to controlling his face and his emotion to not notice how those girls faked pleasure when it was obvious they wanted to run away. There had some female mutant prostitutes, but Don didn’t find them attractive at all. Beautiful human girls were part of his social standing and so, he continued to rent them despite feeling a very mild pleasure. 

Of course, he was very busy. Avoiding Leo and denying feeling something was taken his energy as a full-time job. Avoiding was definitively less draining, but he didn't want Leo to think he was angry at him. To show he still cared for Leo, despite not being very present, he always bought the most lavish items he could find; padding Leo into pricey clothes and giving him and their brothers everything they could wish. He also makes sure Leonardo knew he was very valuable in their family business. Leo was turning it in ridiculous by self-proclaiming he was the assistant-manager. The fact was Don was genuine in his appreciation. His brother was very smart in addition to being a very skilled fighter. But it was like everything he said rubbed Leo the wrong way. What should he does for that jerk to be content?

How could his family fell apart when from day one he worked so hard for them? How could his family fell apart and Leo and him drift away when Don never failed anything else?

Why was he cursed with such a hunger he knew it was wrong to have? Why was still having it, lingering at the surface? He got the Champagne night! It should have sufficed to content his thirst for his brother’s flesh. But there was still that gust of longing, howling into him. 

The noise of the water stopped in the shower and Don kicked himself in gears. He needed to pull himself together to be efficient in searching Mikey and evade any attempts Leo could make to try to talk about what had happened between them.

He turned back to the room that was Leonardo’s wardrobe. He looked at it critically. All of Leo’s clothes were designed and tailored for him. Don always put a great thought before choosing something. It was important for Don his brother has the best of the best. If Leo followed the rules and was handsome, no one would try to bully him anymore.

Michelangelo had often complained about Leo been the favorite. Donatello had always replied that Leonardo’s job required he was looking attractive and besides, Leo was the one working the most after Don’s himself. It was so normal he got more rewarded. But Mikey had that way to look at him, like he could see through Donnie, the kind of gaze that Don hated, making him feel self-conscious. 

Maybe it was the reason Mikey left? He wanted a car and was envious because indeed, Donnie spoiled Leo much more. He treated him differently because…

Donatello shut down his brain before finishing that sentence. He was done psychoanalyzing himself. Psychotherapy and overthinking about himself and the past were a waste of time and could be only beneficial to troubled beings like Leo and Mikey were, not him. He would search for the best therapist in the city after they get Mikey. Don couldn't wait for that ordeal of a morning to be over, already. Mikey wandering with $200,000 and a Mercedes was a bad omen but also rubbing in Don’s face he didn’t have full control of their household. He was the one needing to be in charge and past facts were proving it: he never got a beating, alone among his sibling. That showed Don could check over himself and since Don was in charge, no one had been hurt. Don had a perfect record sheet since the day following the assault. Mikey getting hurt wasn’t conceivable. 

He snatched a simple Armani black and white sweatshirt and jeans from Leonardo’s wardrobe. Leo was out of the shower and Donnie didn’t want Leo to think he had been daydreaming when the situation was critical. Why was he thinking of the past right now? He had to focus on the present and prepare for the future. For that, they needed Michealangelo back. Mikey was young, but a part of their family and business. Don would find him and then, he would have with his youngest brother an open talk-and add bars to any window. 

“Wear that!” he demanded, shoving the clothes into Leo’s hands. “And now, tell me what you know about Micheal’s usual whereabouts!” He narrowed his eyes threateningly. “And no more lies.”

In fact, Leo never lied, really. He would just sneak away and allow Mikey to do the same at the minute they were done with work. Could he chip them? Now only their phone, but their body. It wasn’t necessary for Raph. Raphael was a good boy, convinced Don knew what was good for him.

Leo didn’t respond immediately, putting on the jeans. The bitemark had turned purplish, as to show even more it was Don’s mark, making him feel uncomfortable. To hide his expression, he searched for some alcohol wipes.

“Let me disinfected you,” he mumbled, stretching his hand, but Leo winced away from his touch and did it himself. 

“Where could he be?” Don asked again to fill the heavy silence.

“I don’t know,” Leo mumbled, shrugging. He put the sweatshirt on. “But I’m sure not looking for him with you,” he added with disdain. “Mikey wouldn’t want you around, anyway.”

“That’s enough!” Don was livid, and he grabbed Leo’s arms, digging his finger in the cotton fabric. “You will stop your games right now. I’m Mikey’s legal guardian, and that is a fact. He was mad and he is even more reckless than you. He could get in trouble and then, be in danger. This is my responsibility and I won’t let anyone preventing me to do so.”

Leo didn’t reply and broke Don’s hold easily. He climbed downstairs, giving Don the silent treatment, and Donatello was incensed. How dare Leo act as if Don was the bad guy? It was Mikey overreacting and if he had not been of Leo seduction routine, Don would have talked with Mikey and by now, he would still be there.

“You told me you would be obedient if I win!” he hissed.

Leo turned to glare at him.

“If I remember correctly, I said that if you left my room before one hour, I would quit this job!” 

Don paled, hearing the threat, and for once, he was taken aback. Leo seemed genuinely mad and meaning what he was saying. 

“It was an emergency,” Don stammered, in a voice very uncharacteristic of him. “Raph barged in your room, in tears, and Mikey was gone.”

“I know,” Leo said, his voice softer. “As I know if it weren’t of Mikey, we would be in the middle of a second-round and you wouldn’t have even noticed the hour was over.”

“But Mikey left,” Don said, knowing it was a very poor point. What Leo said was so right. At the moment, they would be in Leo’s bed, kissing, so warm and close. Don would not have let go of him. There would not have that cold tenseness between them. But Mikey running away at that moment showed Don had been right: it was wrong. He should cut off every distraction from him and stay cool-headed for their business to prosper. “And I’m in a hurry to fix that mistake I made to follow you in that room,” he added sternly, for the conversation to stop.

His answer didn’t seem to please Leo. He walked with nervous strides, snatched his phone still on the counter after having glanced at it.

“Did he messaged you?” Don wanted to know. “Tell him we will go to the car dealer if he is here in thirty minutes from now!” It was what Mikey wanted, right? A car, more responsibility, and more gifts? Don would make sure Mikey has everything he needs to stay home. Then, Leo would stay home too and Raph would not cry.

But Leonardo huffed as Don was spouting nonsense.

“No message,” he mumbled, grabbing his keys. Raph threw himself to Leo, pulling on him to prevent him to leave. Raph was very intuitive; he must feel the atmosphere and Leo’s anger and scared Leo run away like Mikey. Raphael loved their baby brothers so much. “What did Mikey told you, Raph?” Leo asked in a soft voice he never had for Donnie, not anymore.

“Baby said...bad,” Raph choked out. Going to see people liking him better.”

Leonardo and Don shared a quick look and Leo turned his back to go to the garage.

“Wait for me!” Don shouted, muttering a motherfucker under his breath. He had to appease Raph before leaving with Leo. His elder brother would turn mad with anxiety if everyone left all of sudden. 

“Raph. Stay here and wait for Baby Orange to come back. If he comes before us, tell him to call me or Leo.”

Raph nodded, his face full of snot and tears as it was at the orphanage. He snatched some paper towels and wiped Raph’s face. Mikey would get a car, alright, but Don promised to spank him hard for Raphael’s tears. Mikey could be almost 19 years old, his body was frail as a preteen, making it easy to grab him and put him on a lap. It was odd as opposite they were. Raph was a young child in a brute’s body, when Mikey had such a depraved mind in a preteen body. It was probably for that reason he had been attracted to Leo among his brothers. Either Raph or Mikey would make him felt like a pedophile.

He left Raph, still anxious Leo could leave without him since he just threatened he could quit, but Don got a bad surprise in the garage. He realized he would have to ride in the damn grey car, the car he couldn’t stand since Leo makes sure Don knew he had sex in it.

Leon was snickering in the driver seat, probably expecting Don would turn his back, refusing to get in the grey car. He sucked in a deep breath and after a moment collecting himself, he pulled on the handle, sitting next to Leo. Micheal’s disappearance was more important than his jealousy for an event of two years ago. To show he had been bothered by it was already a mistake, Leo could poke at to drive him crazy. He had to prove Leonardo he was mistaken and Don didn’t mind the car. It was Leo’s misconception for two years.

He bucked his security belt, aware of Leo’s amazement. It gave Don’s a boost of confidence to make one point across.

“I want you to stop teasing me, I mean in a sexual way,” he corrected to be sure to be clear. “My life is hard enough without having you shamelessly trying to seduce me. You already had plenty of sex. With many people in many places,” he added with a grimace, fidgeting slightly on the seat. He felt like gagging. Did Leo liked it with them, he wondered. Was he with them like he had been with him?

Again, he was thrown back at the Champagne night, the memory more vivid now that he had seen Leo’s aroused face at the motel and his in room.

Leo’s tongue was so soft and pink, when it slid on the vein of Donnie’s cock, swirling around his shaft. When Leo glanced up at him with those bright, Bambi-like eyes, shining like two black pearls, Donnie was feeling punch-drunk. With the long, curvy legs, it was those bedroom eyes Don preferred in his brother. They were enhanced by Leo’s radiant colors: royal blue, the vibrant green lime and the striking scarlet on his cheeks, intensified by the flush he had during sex, making the red of the marks more vivid. Donatello could drown in his bedroom eyes, as cheesy as it sounds! The idea that strangers could be gazed at the same way and see this cute, vulnerable side from his brother was driving him nuts! And what about when Leo broke apart and was cumming for minutes, his handsome face twisted in ecstasy? What about his scent and the noises he makes? Just thinking of it in the car was giving him a boner. He wouldn’t get hard in the grey car, he chastised himself. He focused on how Leo could be slutty with other people. He pulled out his phone, scrolling to find a place to buy a move detector alarm he could fix to Leo’s window. He wouldn’t wait for Leo to run away, too. His brothers were his, he worked so hard for them. He had driven himself almost crazy from exhaustion because Leo dared to sneak in his dreams. For that, Leonardo must remain at his sides. His brothers gone would mean Donnie’s hard work and self-restraint for years had been meaningless. 

“You are alluring; I will give you that,” Donatello said in a detached voice to show he wasn’t uneasy a slight bit. A compliment always put Leo at ease since his brother was an arrogant bastard. But this time, Leo’s face stayed blank. “And I’m not made of steel, unfortunately.” He could not deny being weak to it. “You don’t need to add me to your sex partners collection. You already had,” Donatello concluded, his voice clipped, finally calling the big elephant in the room by himself. “Our family struggle already enough. I know I don’t need this. Find yourself another plaything. I’m too busy for that.”

Leo silently ignited the car before murmuring his answer.

“I will stop,” he finally promised, and stupidly, Don felt an aching in his chest as to how easily Leonardo agreed to stop. Donatello drowned away the thought as they started to search for Mikey, in a tense silence. When he got a client call, Don took it as a very welcomed distraction.   



	11. Interlude: Don's portrait in his office by B0xFish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added the art of chapter 7 Manic Monday too (DoxLeo) Go see it!

* * *

**Donatello**

**Nicknames: Don, Donnie, the Boss**

**Birthday: July 10**

**Age: 21**

**Height: 6'5**

**Position: Manager/CEO/Hacker**

**Sexual position: Top, of course**

**Ability: Management, hacking, multitasking, controlling his brother's life. Has a nice taste for stylish items**

**Weapon: Gun, but prefer to hit from a computer**


	12. Interlude 2, Leo :Counting stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No beta, no speaking English, too drained to read it and edit it.  
> A reader suggested me that song for the story. (thank you!!!)You really need to listen to it to enjoy more of Leo's POV
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yim4--J44gk
> 
> By the way, it's the last chapter with "flashback" I know it's boring and repetitive, but I wanted you to understand more the characters. I will focus more on the present dynamic and their work from the next chapter.

“Don’t dare to get in the car,” Leo mentally demanded Don. He hoped his brother would have gotten the memo that Leo didn’t want anything with him anymore, today. Anyway, it was unlikely they would ride together. First, Don avoided any situation he was alone with Leonardo the best he could. So shortly after the intimate moment they had shared, Don would be tenfold uneasy. Then, Donatello couldn’t stand the grey car, Leo had made sure of it. He had made sure that his big brother knew that he had got mind-blowing sex and cum all over the leather seats of the car Don offered him. Because Leo wasn’t cherishing Don’s gifts anymore if that meant he would have to send a virtual thank you card. 

“I don’t want you around, just get lost,” Leo thought, snickering to Donnie, knowing how Don was pissed right now. Leonardo was used by now at hiding behind wit and humor as hurt he felt. He couldn’t bear Don so close after how he got fucked and ditched again. It would end badly, he knew it. Leo would snap, and they would get physical. Not the good kind of physical. Leonardo could be mad at Donatello, stabbing him would probably get overboard.

He could tell Donnie was internally debating with himself, but Don couldn’t be Don and so a successful businessman if he wasn’t quick to make a decision and ready to anything to check something on his to-do list. To Leo’s great annoyance, Don slid on the seat next to him.

He bucked his security belt, daring to have a smug expression, but without looking at him, as the big coward Don was. But Don used the momentum Leo was slightly taken aback to speak. 

“I want you to stop teasing me, I mean in a sexual way,” he said in that dull voice Donnie had when he was shutting down his true personality. “My life is hard enough without having you shamelessly trying to seduce me. You already had plenty of sex. With many people in many places,” he added with a grimace. 

Leo’s whole body turned tense. The last thing he wanted was to be another burden for Donatello. Donnie could be a jerk; Leo was enough of an idiot to care for him. He always had. 

“You are alluring; I will give you that,” Donatello said in a detached voice. The words could sound cold, Leonardo knew that for Don, sober, it was already a lot to admit Leo was alluring. “And I’m not made of steel, unfortunately.”

This was all the issue, Leo wanted to shout, but he bit his lips, knowing it was useless and they already had that conversation. Don really wished to be turned into a nice, very high-tech robot, to perform more and so, make more cash. It reminds him of Splinter’s death. 

Leo had been there, holding the hand of the man who adopted them. It had been another day, after the assault’s one that had changed them.

Raph and Mikey were there, all of them were crying their soul out. Splinter had told them they should not cry for him. Mutant has a lifespan longer than humans and he had a good life, having known fame, wealth, love, and also, in his last decade, knew what was to have a family. He would die with no regret and also, no worry: Don would take care of them; because Donatello was such a good brother, he had said. 

Leo had hoped Don could make it in time; to hear those praises. Donatello always acted as if Splinter wasn’t loving him at all and just found it convenient to have randomly adopted a genius. Mikey had sneered he could bet Don wouldn’t bother to come. Splinter had replied it wasn’t important if Donatello didn’t come because Donnie had much better things to do than watching an old rat die. 

But Donnie had replied he was on his way and Leonardo had trust in Don to be fast and in fact, he had been right, Donnie had made it in time. He had, by a hair, after having stopped at a notary. 

Donatello was there just to shove some official papers, under Splinter’s nose. He wanted him to sign them, to make him Raph and Mikey’s legal guardian. Once he got that, he agreed they could drive him to the hospital, but the mutant rat had refused and Splinter had died, kinda in peace, despite his last word about money.

Could they stop already piling it? How many they must have in their account for Don to stop being obsessed with it?

If Don get into a fatal accident, Leo knew his brother would die with a regretful heart but too much pride to admit it. It was saddening him that Don was wasting his youth, but maybe Leo should stop to care, at this point. Don was far too gone into his transformation into an emotionless machine to make cash. “For your own sake,” Mikey had pleaded last week, “just forget that prick!”

“You don’t need to add me to your sex partners’ collection. You already had,” Donatello continued, his voice clipped, finally calling the big elephant in the room by himself. So far, he had put his best effort into ignoring what he had done. It was like to have listened to his heart and give in to his instincts with Leo was his more shameful memory. “Our family struggles already enough. I know I don’t need this. Find yourself another plaything. I’m too busy for that.”

“I will stop.”

This conversation was too painful and also, fruitless and so Leo didn’t even try. He was done guessing Donnie’s true feelings. Too bad if Don lusted for him and refused to admit it. Leonardo was ready to move over. If one day, Donnie wakes up, fine. But Leo was tired of acting like a child to get a reaction. He had just admitted doing so to Don thirty minutes ago. He had exposed himself just to be humiliated again. 

Leo straightened in his seat and discreetly winced. His lower back was sore. Of course, it was, since Donnie had unleashed on him his three years of self-restraint. Leo’s heart throbbed at the sweet memory. It had felt so good, so right. Mating between turtles wasn’t the same at all than with humans, or other mutants for the matter. Never Leo made those noises with another partner. Never someone had fucked him into the mattress with so much passion and desire. Other people had for him either curiosity or a silly crush. Don’s lust-Leo didn’t dare to use love- for him was evident and uncomparable. He could tell that despite pounding into him like crazy, Don still held himself back. 

That time, Donnie didn’t tell him he loved him as he did three years ago. Leo could have been wasted, he was sure to have heard it well. Don was drunk too, and it was probably why he had said the L-word. Don could deny having said it; the truth was in the wine, they said. It was probably why Don never got drunk again, despite Leo’s attempt.

But they weren’t in his bedroom but in a car and thinking about it was now irrelevant. Don just flatly told him to stop with his teasing and, after what had happened and how harshly his brother spoke to him, Leo was just done chasing Donnie after years of being rejected. Why would he want to be with such a jerk, Mikey would ask and it was a fair point. 

Leo would just drop it, forget about Donnie and act as nothing had happened as Donatello did himself for years. It would be less draining.

He had been so close...but close to what, really? Don could cum buckets with him one night, he wouldn’t tell Leo a single word for three weeks straight after that, talking to him through emails and gift deliveries. 

Don treated him as a billionaire CEO having a mistress in every big city he was doing business in. Leo was his New York mistress, a mistress not even to make love to, or have fun with. Leo was part of Don’s social standing. Donnie wanted him fashionable and elegant, even if anyway, they wouldn’t go on any date. And as he was truly a gold digger, Leo must be content to have a blue diamond Cartier watch, when his bed was empty.

Well, filling his bed with someone else was easy. It wouldn’t be the same as with Donnie, but it would be better than tossing in his bed.

Leo focused on the road, dismissing Don next to him. Anyway, he was busy talking with a client. How Leo hated those. They were far more demanding than the ones from the ramen shop.

“Perfect. We can do that. You need that for which day? Let me get my agenda…”

Leo rolled his eyes. Were they supposed to search for Mikey? He cursed his little brother mentally to have ruined his moment with Don. He had no idea what could have happened in Mikey’s mind. Well, Don’s new rules sucked big time, Mikey would respond if he was there. Leo very much agreed, but the real problem was more that Mikey and Don never understood each other, despite him knowing both cared for each other. 

Every time they tried to show their love, they missed the train. Leonardo was always torn between them, always has been. The first fifteen years, Leo had sided more with Donatello, to Mikey’s annoyance. But lately, even if Mikey had a part of responsibility and Leo didn’t approve of some of his behavior, Leonardo understood his little brother better. He could relate to Mikey’s pain. 

Donatello was acting less and less as their brother or a living being, for the matter. He felt like in that horror science fi movie where the spaceship computer takes the command.

Leo tried to look back without anger at the past. Today, he was too emotionally drained to get into a fight. To argue with Don was a waste of time and energy. He had to focus on Mikey. Mikey deserved the attention. 

Maybe...something happened with Raph? Leo had reservations about Mikey’s desires Raph. The day Mikey told him about, Leo had tried to not be dissuasive but not encouraging, either. He had felt it would mess up the family, but then, what could he say to Mikey, when he was so much longing to have Donatello’s love and attention himself?

Mikey wanted love and attention as well, knowing very well by now that what Leo could give to him wasn’t enough. Mikey wanted to be someone else number one. It was impossible to have a real-life partner out of their family. Don’s controlling and possessive nature would make everyone run away. Since Donnie was out of the limit and Mikey had decided Don barely stand him, his expectation had turned to Raph.

But Don, by pairing Leo and Raph just stole away the opportunity for Mikey.

Don could have his reasons to lay down rules, at least, Mikey was caring and loving and never hurt anyone’s feelings. Donatello never got Michelangelo, and Mikey never got Don because they were polar opposite. When Leo was blamed for Mikey’s misbehaving when Leo had nothing to do with it; it was infuriating Mikey, it was all Don’s fault. Don was a crazy, controlling, heartless motherfucker, Mikey would snap while baking a cake for Don’s birthday, a cake Don would probably not eat, not because he didn’t care for Mikey, but rather, because he had forgotten something as silly as his own birthday. 

It was hard to believe when Donatello never forgot any single of their birthday. It was probably only his phone remembering him, but the fact was Don always made a big deal of them and since they were rich, made sure they got anything they could want and with a very good knowledge of their taste. For him, he always said he wanted nothing at all either as Christmas or his birthday, arguing he was already taking a cut on their money. It was kind of true, but for now three years straight, Leo bought for Don expensive wine and liquors. Every time, Don scolded Leo for his spending habit, getting mad for an $1800 bottle of wine, when he bought Leo a car and a frigging DaVinci original work to hang on his wall. 

Leonardo had no idea if Don had even tasted any of his gifts. In the selfish hope to share some drinks with Don again, he gave them as a gift, but it never happened. Mikey had offered for Donatello’s last birthday some cactus, “to fit with your personality.” They were still in Don’s office, thus. Donnie seemed to care for them, but it was true that cactus need very little care.

Don could seem self-centered, but the more maddening in his attitude was that he was convinced to act only for his brothers’ well-being and not for himself. Leonardo knew it: Donnie loved them, as much he could love.

Mikey was exasperated when Leo tried to find Don excuses for his cold behavior. Even if it happens less and less in the last three years; it still happened. Mikey would say it was because Leo was weak for Don’s dick, but it wasn’t true-well, not completely. Contrary to Mikey, Leo remembered the orphanage, their adoption, and the first two years at the ramen shop, when Don hadn’t sent yet to that private and severe school. When Don was still salvageable.

Leo had no memory of Don at the orphanage. He barely remembered having seen Raph there. When he got introduced to Don; he learned why.

“You may not know me, but I know you. I saw you a few times in the canteen. Girls and boys are separated when they reach one year old. You weren’t in Raph and I dormitory because they thought you were a girl. Red-eared slider young looks practically identical regardless of their sex, making distinguishing them difficult. But I knew you were a boy because I read and know a lot of things.” Don had smirked, but his face had turned in a scowl fast enough. “Humans are dumb and mean. They didn’t hit you because you can talk, and you are pretty, but they were very mean with Raph. I know how to avoid punishment. Stay with me, and I will protect you.”

Leo had been very impressed, right on the bat, by how confident and knowledgeable Donatello was. 

“And Mikey?” Leo had asked, motioning to the baby, that he was holding in his arm.

“I will protect him too,” Don had vowed, very serious. “But you have all to do what I said. Follow my lead.”

Leo had nodded. He has also been delighted to hear he was pretty, even if he was used to being called cute, by his caretaker. But for him, Mikey was even cuter.

When they got adopted, Don and Leo had turned three two months ago. Mikey was nine months old and the cutest baby ever. Mutants could develop faster than humans, he wasn’t yet at the stage to say a sentence, even short. But he was already strolling and so, about at the same point as Raph, 4 years and a half. The more noticeable difference between Mikey and Raph was the size. Raphael was so big, big as a twelve years old human child when Mikey could have been held in a rice bowl. But the real difference had been that Mikey had been loved and spoiled by Leonardo when Raph got no love, only Don’s hopeless concern.

Leo still remembered the day they gave him Mikey. Michelangelo was five days old. His caretaker had given him to Leo as Mikey was a doll Leon could play with. It was a reward, they said because Leo was behaving and sweet. He got a few responsibilities at the orphanage very early, since mutants at two years old were mentally developed like a six-year-old child. He couldn’t read as fluently as Don, but he was able to catch many words like the one used for food or cleaning. Now that he thought of it, he had been more and less used as a servant, but at the time, he never thought of complaining. He was working at the canteen, doing simple tasks, like peeling vegetables and doing the dishes and when he was done, he got some pat on the shell and praise and sometimes, sweets.

Mikey was a “reward” they said, but also, a new responsibility. Leo didn’t mind, loving to care for his living doll and never wandering without him, gazing at him fondly. In fact, Leo clinched on him so much, Splinter thought Mikey was Leo’s favorite toy and had got shocked when he realized he got himself a baby when Mikey started crying in the ramen shop. Of course, Leo never told that story to Mikey. His brother would be upset. He felt enough unwanted, already.

Splinter had been bewildered by Mikey’s presence and had scratched his head, telling he was sure to have signed to adopt three mutant children, two boys, and a girl and, well, it looked he got four boys.

For Donnie, it had been the last straw. Donatello wasn’t in the ramen shop for thirty minutes, looking at the kitchen contemptuously when he heard Splinter didn’t even bother to get more accurate information before doing something as crucial than an adoption, his opinion was done. Splinter was an imbecile, that wouldn’t be able to give them proper care.

Donatello wasn’t a turtle staying idle too long.

Don had asked for Leo’s help, explaining all that was needed to be done. Leo could see the relief on Don’s features to see Leo could help him and it was filling Leonardo with pride and happiness. He wasn’t doing any different than at the orphanage, in fact, he even worked less, but he felt how much genuinely appreciated what he was now. He wasn’t a cute and submissive mutant. He was helpful and needed and he felt like he had found his place. Don said they were an excellent team and he was so glad to have Leo as a sibling and Leonardo was delighted coming from someone with high standards like the eye-glassed turtle seemed to be.

Leo had gotten along with Raph very quickly despite how wary Raphael was from others. Don was even warier, on pins and needles every time Splinter touched Raph, even if the rat was nothing but kind with the biggest turtle. But Donatello allowed Leonardo to get close to Raph and encouraged Raph to trust the red-eared slider mutant and to see that favored treatment made Leo want to please Don even more. Raphael was very sweet, so Leo didn’t mind caring for him as he cared for Mikey. He fed them both and gave baths to both and got rewarded by many displays of genuine affection. It was enough of a salary. Leonardo’s original personality was nurturing. To change it drastically to the point to get a cold-blooded assassin, he had needed quite a heartbreak.

Donatello was working hard for Splinter’s business to work, but also the whole household, and Leo, at the time, admired him a lot. Donnie wasn’t playing with him and Mikey as Leo would have wanted, but he understood that the shop and Raph’s speech progress was more important. He helped the best he could too, teaching Mikey and Raph at the same time when Don was busy doing the shop account or fixing an appliance. 

At the time, they were close as Don could allow someone to be.

They slept on the same Queen Size mattress because Splinter didn’t have the money to buy more at first. Raphael was taking more than half of it and so they were curling up in a spoon, Don behind him and Mikey’s cuddled up in Leo’s arms. Don probably wasn’t conscious of it, but he nuzzled into Leo’s neck, tickling him with his breath. It was feeling warm and safe and Leo was happy.

Despite struggling with money, they were feeling like a family, until Don, three years later, was sent to that private school that Leo couldn’t go to. Someone that he didn’t know was offering to pay for Don’s studies in a special-and expensive-school. It was a place accepting mutants and for students from elementary to college. With a degree from this place, Don could enter the best University. Besides, they were ready to make Don jump two years since anyway, mutants weren’t aging the same. 

Leonardo remembered Donnie had been conflicted by the news. Of course, he was proud to be chosen and knew getting into such a school could help him get a better job and a better future for all of them, he had explained. But he was worried about leaving his brothers behind. The school was more than one hour away. He could come only at the weekend. Leo had stayed carefully neutral in that dilemma. Instinctively, Leo knew that Donatello would stay if he cried and told Don he didn’t want him to go. But he didn’t want to be a hindrance to Donnie’s studies and ambition and he had kindly smiled to Donnie.

Donatello finally made his choice and decided he would go. Leo knew Donnie did it because he hated the ramen shop and wanted to get the best job he could, for them. If there was something Leo never doubted-even today- was that Don wanted the best for his family and besides his sibling, Don loved no one, not even himself, probably. 

That day had been the first time Don chose money and ambition over his family.

In the first months, Splinter had driven Donnie back every day. But then came Winter and Don had told it was a waste of money and that Mikey being loud, it interfered with his concentration for his homework. It was true Mikey was loud, but he had missed Donnie and Leo going to an elementary school too; he was now more often alone and wanted attention. It was understandable, but Don, who never needed attention, couldn’t get it.

It had been the first step Don took opposite to Mikey’s direction. And the second time Don chose money over his family.

Before leaving for his school, Donnie did leave instructions, a schedule, and so on for Leo, himself, and their brothers, and Leo made a point of honor to respect it dutifully. He even told Leo where he was hiding the over cash, in case of necessity. Don trusted no one, except Leon and to feel special was thrilling.

Leo was doing fine in his own school. He was aware to be the only mutant and so, he understood he had to be extra sweet and funny to get liked by his classmates. But Donatello had no faith in Leo’s strategy and forced him into having pepper spray in his school bag. He was so persistent in his idea humans were dangerous that Leo carried the spay to put Don’s mind at ease. He knew Don couldn’t check, since he wasn't there, but at the time, he was still drilled to obey. Donnie had obviously been deeply hurt in the past and was working so hard, Leo didn’t want to give him a harder time. 

Every time Don was back, Leo made sure the home was tidy, the meal ready and he groomed Mikey and Raph to welcome him. If something bad had happened during the week, Leo was making sure no one would mention it.

No wonder he was always the mom when they played pretend. He acted as a 50s housewife. 

Since Leo and Mikey were so close, Leo’s admiration for Don found an echo in Mikey. The box-turtle longed for Don’s attention. He was very loud in his way of expressing it, trying to cling to Don by embracing his legs, begging for snuggles, cuddles, and playing hockey.

But Mikey was so different from Don himself, Donnie didn’t know what to do with him. The few times he held him in his arms, he was very awkward, despite his good wills to show his affection.

He really tried to bond with Mikey, but Don, who knows so many things, didn’t know how to play. His more cheerful moment was to read them a story at bedtime when they were sleeping together.

When Raph got his eight birthday, with some over cash, Don bought him a mattress. Raph was now as big as an adult and they were getting uncomfortable. Still, Leo was sad when Donnie went to sleep with Raph, on the weekend, leaving Leo and Mikey alone and so, setting the pair. Raph’s was Don’s responsibility and Mikey, Leo’s. It was like all the effort to be a united family from the last years had been in vain. When Don started to be there only on weekends, Mikey wasn’t even four years old, barely older than when Leo first met Don.

Mikey has no memory of how Don was devastated the first time he entered the ramen shop and understood that he had now four mouths to feed in addition to himself. Mikey had no idea that Don would have played with him if Splinter was an organized, wealthy man. Don seemed to dread being sent back to the orphanage or they got separated and ready for everything for it to not happen. 

Since neither Raph nor Mikey could talk and according to Don, Splinter was a moron, Donnie was speaking to him, opening not that much but a little. Don cared and wanted their well-being, but as he didn’t know how to play, he didn’t know how to love.  
  
It didn’t improve at all over the years. Don had more and more homework, turning even more serious. Then, one day that Mikey had made the meal, something much tastier than Leo never did, Don had decided it was time for Leo and Mikey to contribute to the rent. They would work at the ramen shop and the next thing Leo knew, when they were alone, Don gave him a knife. A real, big, sharp knife. He had stared at it with wide eyes.

“I did one of my classmates’ homework to get that blade,” he had explained to Leo gravely. “If one customer tries to touch you, or Mikey, in a way you don’t want you to be touched, stab him with it.”

Leo wasn’t sure if Don remembered that knife tied at his thigh was his own gift. Since then, he gave him more lavish gifts and probably forgot about it, as everything not earning him money. But Leo would always remember how flabbergasted he had been by Don’s cold, emotionless voice when he told Leo to stab someone. 

“But...to stab a customer would be bad, no?” Leo had asked, uncertain.

“Not if there is no witness, “Donnie had replied. ‘I could erase any evidence and we will drop his body in the river. Who cares, they aren’t family,” he had added to calm Leo down.

Leonardo didn’t tell anyone about that weird gift and hid the knife under his mattress, not knowing what to do with it. He had blamed mentally Donnie’s friend, April for that odd idea.

He knew April because one day, Don had brought her over for the weekend because she had “family issues.” The idea Don had a friend had filled Leo with a bitter feeling of jealousy. Leonardo had friends too, to do school projects and play basketball, so it wasn’t the issue. Leo wouldn’t have minded his other sibling to have friends. But Donatello left no one in, except Leonardo, and now that Don was so intimate with April, he introduced her to his brothers, he felt less unique. Maybe she was his girlfriend, Mikey had said. It did not make Leo feel any better.

“So, where do you think he is?” Don asked, kicking Leo out of his gloomy thoughts. He pulled a gold cigarette case out of his jacket. “Do you mind the smoke?” Don’s voice was all neutral politeness, but Leonardo supposed it was already a victory Don didn’t hide his smoking anymore.

Leo shrugged. Secondary smoke was the last of his concern, right now.

“If you actually talked to Mikey once by month, you would have maybe a better idea of where he could be,” Leo replied, sarcastic. “You wouldn’t have to ride with me.”

Don lit up his cigarette and took a long drag on it as to fill his lug with tar was relieving him. He pressed on the window button to puff the smoke outside, but Leo could bet it was another way to avoid eye contact.

“I talk to him,” Don blew as the smoke. “But I admit I may have neglected him. You know, work…” Don trailed off. “This is why I wanted to try to fix it.” he turned his head slowly, staring at Leo but with expressionless eyes. “I didn’t get to finish my meeting.”

“You won’t fill the gap you dig yourself between you and Mikey by laying down crazy rules,” Leonardo spat. “You wouldn’t make your brother listen to you by convoking him to a meeting, whatever you paid for a caterer or not,” he snarled before Don tried to make that point. “You may think you were considerate, but…”

Don’s phone vibed, and Don raised his finger to signify Leo to shut up while he was taking that call.

“Yes, yes. We can do that. An arson reaches around $3000, depending on the surface to burn and the security system in place. There a bonus charge for what requires camera hacking.”

Leo hit his steering wheel with frustration and Don glared at him with disapproval. 

The day Don offered a knife had been the first time Leo thought that maybe something was wrong with Donatello, like mentally wrong. Still, the day he got attacked, he so regretted not having it. Donnie had been right. The knife could have made the difference in the fight, but the fact was that Leonardo wasn’t an aggressive turtle, to begin with. Don always said when they were young Leo was sweet and humans loved him because the red-eared slider was a kind of human pet, a tamed breed of turtle when Raph, Don, and Mikey had been mutated with wild animals DNA.

How weird it was to think that he was a pet turtle when he killed a few men in a blink last night? He doubted someone would call him sweet anymore.

His transformation was Donnie’s handiwork; as Don acted like a robot as he had turned his brothers into mercenary-machine.

Mikey’s wreck was also Don’s work, but Donnie preferred to blame the beating they got and Leo’s bad habit to spoil Mikey.

Donie wasn’t all wrong; it definitely went downhill before the assault. Something was off before that still, Leo was sure of it. There was the time he got to be held back a year. Don had been pissed, as it was such a dishonor, he could die from it. Leo had believed that Don would stop talking to him altogether.

Was it the reason, Leo never knew, but from there, Don started avoiding him. He couldn’t hide feeling hurt by it and since Mikey was always with Leo, Don was at the same avoiding Mikey. Don, when he wasn’t busy with studies and the shop was giving every single minute of his free time to Raph as he hoped that eventually, Raph could run for President. Mikey could have a soft spot for Raph, he was still upset for Leo and himself, to be considered nothing.

Don was so busy, so devoured by stress that Leon didn’t want to add to Donnie’s load by explaining why he had stayed one year more in middle school. He didn’t say Mikey was an out of the closet gay mutant that had received death threats at school, and so, Leo didn’t want to leave him alone. 

Leo still remembered the first day Mikey came home and burst into tears after having slammed the door of the room he still shared with Leo. His lips had been bust and Leo was fuming with rage. Mikey had been honest and had explained he had confessed to a guy he liked and got punched for it.

Leo wasn’t bothered by the gay part. As a male turtle who got misgendered a long time, without even being aware of it, he was very open-minded and considered the body like a simple flesh envelope having nothing to do with love. 

Mikey told him about longing for a boyfriend for months and had asked if Leo was feeling the same loneliness. The fact was despite being thirty months older, and so, about to turn fifteen, Leo didn’t feel the same urges. He shared pecks on the lips with a few girls at his school, but it was more curiosity from both sides. At the time, Leo was so busy keeping their family together, he didn’t have a single wet dream yet. As Don had the mental charge of their family, Leo got the emotional one, too busy caring for anyone to think about himself.

But he understood Mikey’s need to be loved outside his family, even if he didn’t feel the same. He had listened to Mikey’s secrets, and what was for Mikey the ideal partner. Mikey had enumerated the quality important to him: his lover must be caring and protective and so on, and Leo felt Mikey was speaking from Donatello. He had been troubled and had asked straightforwardly if he was right. 

“Donnie? Are you kidding? Have you listened to the first thing I told you?” Mikey had snickered. “I said: caring.”

It was about that time Mikey started to show disrespect for Donnie, but at the time, Leo still scolded Mikey for it. Because for Leo, it was only Don’s weird way to love. Even now, just because he went as far as to sit in the grey car to search for Mikey, Don was persuaded he was a very caring and concerned big brother.

“I have someone that could be available for it Wednesday. Of course, we need 50% of the sum in our account 24 hours before.” Don puffed with a slight annoyance. Arson was a little contract, the one Don left to Mikey, usually. So, even if Michelangelo was missing, and in who knows which state of mind, Don was filling up his work schedule. “I will send you the link later.”

Leo’s first bet about Mikey’s position was the skate park. He turned the block, driving slowly, but on a chilly Monday morning, it was easy to see there was no one. 

“I will send you the details. I have another call.”

If things had started to feel off before the assault, it went definitively worse after. Mikey and Leo couldn’t return to school, Don had decided, and Splinter had no room to object. Donatello was one month from finishing high school. After years at that school, Don couldn’t drop out, so close to the end. He had made an arrangement with his homeroom teacher to be half-present at school, half doing it from home. Leo guessed it was the farthest Donnie could go in the sacrifice. But it was like he was more worried about Mikey’s education than whatever trauma he could have. Mikey felt it as Don didn’t care and Leo couldn’t call him off for that. After all, Don showed sensibility about Raph’s traumatic experience at the orphanage, why not about Mikey and Leo?

Because if Don tried to teach algebra to Mikey a few times, he didn’t treat Leo differently.

It was true Leo had made Mikey promise to not talk about the rape part. The knife memory still buzzed into him. He was half afraid Don was disgusted by him and blamed him for not having his knife or his pepper spray; despite Donnie’s numerous warnings, half worried Don went on a killing spree. But Don shows no peculiar emotion. The same evening, he pulled out some money, told Leo to bring his brothers to the movie and pizzeria and have fun. As if this sudden generosity would heal them.

The next months, at their home, Don avoided him even more, and to be more effective in doing so, he decided to get a job, now that he was free from school. On his first paycheck, with some saved money, he had bought Leonardo’s three classical dress shirts and two pairs of trousers. Leo had said nothing, not understanding why Don gifted him with church clothes when now more than ever he was locked home. 

For his 16 years birthday, Leo got a dress shirt, a tie, a gun, and ten classes at a shooting range. Holding a gun felt off and for Leo and he neglected to go after having tried thrice and their father died. To continue to attend, he lay down the condition for Don to come with him. To his surprise, his stern older brother had accepted. It was the first time Leo noticed that Donnie when he was directly asked by Leonardo, could yield to his whim. It was a power he didn’t know he had. 

Oddly, Don seemed familiar with guns, and with soft gestures, he corrected Leo’s position. As his older brother was standing behind him, holding his arm extended, Leo’s breath hitched, his heart racing faster. Don never touched him and didn’t get close to him since he bought Raph a mattress. His mind recalled what Mikey had told him about which kind of lover he was looking for. And Leo wondered if him thinking about Don had a meaning. 

Around the same time, Mikey, maybe jealous of Leo’s attention, started humping him at night.

At first, it had been kisses and caresses just on the fence of boundaries. Mikey wasn’t daring to voice the question, but Leo could tell; his brother was worried about how Leo was going. If Leonardo had to be honest, he wasn’t sure how he was feeling. It was a question he refused to ponder over. He refused to think about that rape. He did it to protect Mikey and he would do it again, if it was needed. Leo was used to putting himself after his brothers. 

“I don’t want you to shut down yourself as Donnie, bro. A robot by family is enough,” Mikey tried to joke, but Leo could perceive the anxiety behind it. “Can I try to make you feel good? I saw a movie last night,” Mikey had whispered. 

At 16 years, Leonardo knew the basics of sex. He also knew it wasn’t something you do between brothers, but Mikey was feeling lonely and lacking something, and Leo too. They were both inexperienced and their touches were more explorative than sensual. It was still feeling good. Mikey seemed to get comfort from it and he was, too. 

Don tried to separate them. Six months before the incident, Mikey got his own room and now, after how much it cost, Don would appreciate it if Mikey resumed to sleep in. Mikey still joined him in the middle of the night, when Don was asleep. Leo wasn’t minding; being with Mikey was feeling nice and it was beneficial to both of them. 

Some of the events were blurrier than others. Don had tried to get them hired for some big shot, evanescent stars of some reality show. How long did it last before Don got his real genius idea? Two weeks? Three?

Leo had been reluctant at first, but again, Donatello was never wrong. If they survived so far, it was because of him, and “Raph doesn’t mind at all to beat like pulp some human. Raph hated humans as well, right?” Donnie would point out.

If Leo thought of himself as blindly obedient to Don at the time, it was nothing compared to Raph. Without any hesitation, Raph would have jumped from the window if Don asked him. Refusing to do it would mess up the family and well, they trusted Don with their life, even Mikey, despite his bitching. 

Leo got sucked in without meaning to, but as to be sure Leo would stay comfortable, Don proposed some mission for him that wasn’t violent. It was all about seduction and Leo had been at first bewildered to see Don thought Leo could be that good with that. Yes, he had always been popular, considering the whole mutant situation he was stuck in, but never he thought of himself as a Don Juan. But Donnie seemed to believe the opposite, calling him a flirt and Leo refused to disappoint him. Quickly, it fed a part of him, to be loved and desired and spoiled, sometimes, by the lovestruck customers. When he was done with the mission, Don seemed very content and well, cash was finally raining so much that Leo was sure Don would stop soon to be over-concerned by it.

For about a year, Leo felt okay. Both jobs allowed him some social interaction he missed so much, Don was satisfied with him and at night, Mikey and he had each other and well, they have all that nice stuff. Don even bought him a car at the same time he bought his, a few months before their 18 years birthday. 

The birthday that changed everything and turned Leo, the docile doll into what he was, now.

Now, he was driving in the direction of that illegal rave mutant place, Mikey loved to hang. With their schedule, that kind of place open from midnight to noon was perfect. Of course, he wasn’t allowed to go to such a place. Lately, Mikey was more and more grounded, as if in Don’s mind the fact they were at the second stories was enough of an obstacle to stop Mikey from partying, after having begged Leo for money or empty Don’s pockets from any content they could have. Leo preferred to give the money, usually. 

“Where are we going?” Don asked, staring by the window. “It’s an industrial neighborhood,” he said with disdain.

Leo huffed, not bothering to answer. Maybe he should try to pick up a fight instead of letting his memory linger on the Champagne night.

“You have such rad observation skills,” Leo snickered. “Did you notice Mikey’s tongue piercing?”

Don frowned. 

“Of course, I did. It was yesterday!”

Leo chuckled bitterly.

“I must give Mikey his $50 buck, then.” He glared at Donnie. “For your information, Mikey had that piercing last January. It’s ten months old and you never noticed despite the many flashy jewels he kept using. He said that for you to notice, I had to get one too.”

He could tell by the face Don pulled the time of a heartbeat that his older brother was taken aback and speechless, but Don turned his head toward the window to take one last drag before throwing his cigarette again.

“Children,” he muttered, after his long, irate puff. 

No exclamation, no awareness, no apology. Leo tightened his hold on the steering wheel. He has to calm down. 

He turned on the music putting on that song that makes me feel so much of his relationship with Donnie.

_"Lately, I been, I been losin' sleep_

_Dreamin' about the things that we could be_

_But baby, I been, I been prayin' hard_

_Said, no more countin' dollars, we'll be countin' stars_

_Yeah, we'll be countin' stars_

_I see this life like a swingin' vine_

_Swing my heart across the line_

_In my face is flashin' signs_

_Seek it out and ye shall find_

_The old, but I'm not that old_

_Young, but I'm not that bold_

_And I don't think the world is sold_

_On just doing what we're told_

_I feel something so right_

_Doing the wrong thing_

_And I feel something so wrong_

_Doing the right thing_

_I couldn't lie, couldn't lie, couldn't lie_

_Everything that kills me makes me feel alive_

_Lately, I been, I been losin' sleep_

_Dreamin' about the things that we could be_

_But baby, I been, I been prayin' hard_

_Said, no more countin' dollars, we'll be countin' stars_

_Lately, I been, I been losin' sleep_

_Dreamin' about the things that we could be_

_But baby, I been, I been prayin' hard_

_Said, no more countin' dollars, we'll be_

_We'll be countin' stars_

_Hey, yeah_

_I feel the love and I feel it burn_

_Down this river, every turn_

_The hope is our four-letter word_

_Make that money, watch it burn_ "

Don turned down the volume, motioning he has a call and Leo's mind drifted away to not shove Don down the car. How could he have fallen for such an egoistic piece of trash as Donnie? And then, without his consent, his mind recalled the Champagne night.

Donnie’s invitation to drink had surprised him, in a very good way. Since the shooting range, they never spend a moment together. They were having something like fun and it was thrilling and for once, Leo felt alive and not a caretaker or an employee. The kiss had taken him by surprise. It was so sudden. One minute they were drinking and the next, Don was kissing him like crazy, after having pinned him down on his bed. 

It wasn’t at all a kiss like Mikey’s. Mikey’s kisses were sweet and comforting. Donatello was kissing him with a desperation that got Leo needy with arousal in five seconds flat. Donnie’s tongue was inquisitive but also warm. Donatello’s whole body was very warm and Leo understood he was surprised by it because by how cold Don was with them, he had figured his skin would be the same; icy. When Don broke the kiss, Leo was still confused and wondered what Don’s next move would be. He quickly got his answer, when Don started untying his belt. 

“It may hurt, but I will do my best,” he had choked out in a very low voice, like a murmur. “You care for everyone and I want to care for you. I love you.”

Leo had been dizzy by the declaration. Alcohol was slowing his mind process. But as Donnie nibbled his neck, the words and their meaning reached his inebriated brain. At the end of that statement, he wasn’t expecting the bite nor the sudden assault to his senses. Leo tipped his head more to the side, letting Don use him as he pleased as his mind repeated the words.

Don stopped his move to take a last gulp of Champagne like he needed liquid courage and Leonardo had trembled with need. His animal instinct knew what would happen. It wasn’t at all like with Mikey. It would be even less like when he got gang-raped. It was a real love-making as a human could do, but also mating as a turtle. Leo realized he never get sexually aroused, neither be horny so far, because all the time, he had waited for Don’s move. Somewhere, he knew he belonged to him. 

“Kiss me again,” Leo had begged. “Kiss me.”

And Don had kissed him, letting the Champagne flow from his mouth to Leo’s.

Leo could not refuse the wine, without choking, and so, he swallowed it, having never felt something so hot in all his life. Don had lay Leo on the bed again, while covering his collarbone with hungry kisses and loves bites.

Leo’s mind had been so clouded by lust, all his surroundings had disappeared from it, when Don had started pulling on his tail, spreading the wet liquid leaking from Leo's hole. When and how did he get so wet? His only concern was these hot lips, running through his body. At some point, Donnie had bitten his collarbone harder and shoved his finger inside of him. Leo had cried out from the surprise, his hips bucking from their own.

“Cling to me, with your arms and legs. I got you.” Leo did as he was told and he got rewarded by more kisses and caresses and a very hot cock, pressing on his ass. He had been nervous and had dug his finger in Don’s shell. “Easy, Leon. I will be gentle. I always wanted you. I always loved you.”

As Leo had always felt, despite his coldness, Don cared for him in a special way. He had suspected as much, but hearing the words made his chest tighten. He never guessed it was _that way._ But it didn’t matter as he welcomed the feeling and the touch. Donatello hated to be touched usually. Leonardo didn’t even remember when was the last time he did. Leo had always blamed Donnie’s softshell for that. But the fact he was allowed to do something he just discovered he craved to do, touching Donnie, drove him crazy with the desire to get more.

Leonardo wasn’t sure if it was alcohol or something else from his reptilian DNA influenced his behavior, but he found in him no will to resist. He wanted this, he wanted to be spoiled. By a few touches, Donnie had soothed Leo’s anxiety he didn’t realize he had. For years, he was keeping the whole family together, emotionally speaking. He had cared a lot for Splinter, for Raph, for Mikey, and for Don, too. They all liked him and cared for him, but not like this.

The burnt of the breaching was tissue paper in comparison to the sensation of being filled, owned, and...blissful by it? He wasn't feeling like a tool, but a precious treasure Don cherished. Donnie’s strokes were slow and methodical, never pulling his sharp gaze away from Leo’s face, monitoring his expression. All Leo could do was gasp and cling to Donnie as a lifeline. The first orgasm took Leo by surprise but his cry “Donnie baby!” was swallowed down by Donnie’s kiss.

“Easy Leon. I got you,” he kept saying, with blazing eyes. It was so out of character for Donnie to be that passionate and loving, only busy making him feel good, Leo was already addicted to that new side of his personality.

Hearing his name been moaned like that seemed to push Don further in his sex-crazed state. It wasn’t only the name. Leo had uttered many sounds he didn’t even know he could produce. He had refused to think about it, to not ruin the moment he shared with Don, but the time he had sex, he didn’t make any sound at all, biting his lips to not gave them the satisfaction to see how distressed he was, neither distraught Mikey.

Don was rough in his lovemaking, leaving no room for a refusal, admitting Leo didn’t love any second of it. He kept apologizing when he wanted another round or bite him too hard as he kept telling how much beautiful Loe was and how much he loved him. The gap between the polite speech and the merciless thrusts were undoing Leo too much. He cum like a fountain all night, trembling and begging to get more of that love he just realized he always longed for.

At some point, Leo passed out. There’s was a limit to how many times a turtle could orgasm. Donatello seemed the same, having crushed above him, but still embracing him. Leo was sated and blissful and feeling safe and his optimistic nature didn’t’ think further than he was so happy.

When he had opened his eyes, Leo had been disoriented. The room was chilly and he understood why when he saw the window open. He knew he hadn’t been the one having opened it. Donatello forbade them to sleep with an open window, worried that someone enters their room. As he realized how his body was sore, as he gathered his memories.

Don was nowhere to be seen, but he saw the glass of water and the pills and he did the math. They had sex, Don confessed loving him, and now, probably having a hangover, had left.

He had managed to crawl his way out of his room, his lover back throbbing with pain, and his whole body aching from the bitemarks. He had quite a hangover too, but the new awareness to have a mate made him dismissing it to knock at Don’s bedroom door. His heart was racing so fast in his chest, excited and thrilled to have someone to call his own. And not everyone, but Donnie, the brother he had admired so much.

Donatello never allowed anyone in his room since he has his own. Three years later, it was still of actuality. But Leo having been fucked, bitten, and drenched in cum, figured he had some right doing so, to collect some answers. There was no answer and still disoriented he had ambled downstairs, clenching to the rail stairs. What time was it? Was he late for the job?

On his way, he had met Mikey.

“Did I sleep in?” Don would be pissed if he was late, but then, he told himself Don couldn’t blame him when Don was the one having suggested the Champagne and then, ridden his ass like no tomorrow.

“Oh, chill bro, the big Boss had called a day off! The shop is closed for today!” Mikey had greeted him, his sharp look studying Leo. Leonardo wasn’t minding at all to break Mikey the new. Keeping a secret as big in their little family was impossible, anyway. But he wanted to speak with Don before. Thankfully, Mikey hadn’t asked questions. “Did you see him?” Don was probably having a hangover too and Leo felt the need to lay down next to him, for them to suffer together through the aftermath of their drinking. They could kiss, it would feel nice. “Where is he?”

“In his office like every day ending by Y, from 7:00 am to 12:00 am. What did you expect?” Mikey had mocked.” That during the night a fairy used her wand on him and turned him into a living being?”

Leo had not answered and had walked to Don’s office. He felt his guys churning, the chill of excitation of earlier leaving place to anxiety. Leo had knocked on the door and before having received an answer, he had tried to turn the knob of the door, but it was locked. He could have asked Mikey to pick up the lock, but he didn’t want to mingle Mikey in something now he had a bad feeling about.

“Donnie,” he had called softly. Maybe Don was just feeling awkward. “It’s Leo.”

“Good morning, Leonardo. What can I do for you?” Don had asked, from the other side of the door. His voice was dull and Leo felt a cold pit in his stomach. Nausea made him dizzy. 

“Can you open the door? I want to talk to you.”

A silence had stretched and filled Leonardo with anxiety.

“I’m sorry, Leon. I’m very busy. I’m actually planning your contract for the next month.” The tone was clipped, as Leo was really bothering him in the middle of work. “I closed the shop today because I supposed you will have a hungover. You drank quite a lot yesterday. Enjoy your day off. There some ginger herbal tea I left for you on the counter, if you feel you are going to be sick.”

“Stop the bullshit!” Leo had never been that rude, but he had been too pissed and upset to care. “Open that fucking door!”

“I said I was busy! Come back another day, would you?” Don’s reply was like frostbite and the stress and the alcohol had made him run to throw up. He had spent the day in his room, Mikey next to him, playing some guitar softly and changing the cold handtowel on his forehead.

Don didn’t speak to him for weeks. In fact, they didn’t seem him at all for days, but a few days later, Leo woke up with a case on his nightstand. It was the $140,000 Cartier watch, that Leo had hoped was a sign of something like reconciliation and acknowledgment, but ended to be just the salary for a nice fuck. 

He didn’t even use it anymore; it reminded him too much of the time he got his hope and heart shattered. Don never got the memo Leo wasn’t touched by his gift anymore and was spending as crazy to buy them, despite being stingy.

Don didn’t even eat with them anymore, only engrossed in their business Leo had started to change, getting edgier and sourer. He didn’t have the emotional strength to keep his family together as he was used to doing. 

Anyway, Don was making sure Leo work every day, as he wanted to keep both of them so busy, they wouldn’t have an opportunity to talk. Leo tried to find solace in his work, making people fall for him, drinking too much wine, and having sex again, in the hope to feel good as he once had.

When Don asked him to assist Raph, Leo was filling his duty as emotionless Don was asking him to do it. He just drank a glass of wine before-okay, maybe two- to feel less raw. 

Except for his job that he was doing beyond perfectly-Leo has his pride-He provoked Don every chance he got, as retaliation for the heartbreak Don gave him, but also, in the hope Don’s self-control would snap.

Mikey was helping him. He had learned soon enough why Mikey didn’t ask him any question. Mikey had seen everything. Of course, Mikey had been upset. His little brother was very sensitive. Both of them were hurt to be rejected by Don, even if it wasn’t on the same level. Mikey longed for longer than Leo for a mate and they had tried to hook together.   
Leonardo loved Mikey more than anything. The bound they have was very strong, Leo really wanted to soothe Mikey and make him feel good, but he could tell Mikey wasn’t fully satisfied by him. Leo could be switch position, he was more a bottom, longing to be treated as he was precious. Mikey was feeling the same, he knew it. 

Leo parked his car in front of the place Mikey was used to going to find sex partners and smoke weed. It reminds him it’s been a while he been that far with Mikey. The last time was about eight months ago at this club; Mikey’s party place. It was a rave club, in an old cookie factory, but when it was closed, some VIP people could stay and rent a room. It was a rare day off for them and Don had been even more an epic jerk than usual the whole day. Mikey had convinced Leo to go there to have fun. They smoked, did MDMA because Leo didn’t want to do anything with the cocaine Mikey stole from Don, had lethargic, dazed sex until Mikey started bad tripping. He didn’t feel well himself and it had been pretty hard to hide how shit faced they were back home. Leo wondered why they even bothered. Don had no room to judge them with his expensive call-girl and the nose candy he bought to April, Donnie’s sociopathic twin. Or girlfriend?

The place seemed empty, but Leo knew better and he was about to get out of the car.

“What is that place?” Don asked. His face expressed disgust. “It seems shabby and shady. How do you know that place?” It was obvious that for him, Leo was a too fancy tool to go to such a place.

“I came here to have some fun,” Leo replied casually, even if in fact he went only once. His scene was more speakeasy with a smooth, cozy, refined ambiance, with lounge music and dimmed light where he could sip cocktail or wine. It seemed to go under Don’s skin and every time, it thrilled Leo to the core. “I have sex with strangers and do drugs,” he lied. It really only happened once.

“I forbid this!” Don hissed, his face expressing such anger and possessivity, Leo could have moaned aloud. He was already getting wet like every time Don showed strong emotion. Why was he so weak to that jerk. “I know I had been a bad brother to you!” Leo’s blossoming arousal stopped to grow as Donnie composed himself “And this is what I wanted to tell you at the meeting. “Could he stop with his meeting, already? “Both you and Mikey need therapy to fight your addiction,” Don started and Leo hurried out of the car to not be tempted to punch Donnie. But that asshole get out of the car too, following him. 

“I know I may have not been perfect either,” Don continued and Leo slowed. Would Donnie consider therapy? Since the knife offer, it was something tormenting Leo. Don wasn’t a mean person, but something was definitively wrong with him. He needed help. He had refused Leo’s help, but maybe a professional one…

“I don’t do cocaine, I only buy it for the thrill to not take it,” Donnie explained and Leo stared at him, dumbfounded. Did Donnie think Leo was stupid? Mikey saw him snorting it. “But Mikey definitively does and this is why he needs professional help in a detox center," Don continued as serious as the frigging Pope. I know he wouldn’t want to go and this is why I need your help. Be a good role model and accept the counseling. Of course, I will find the best one for you. Money isn’t mattering but your health is.”

It was so infatuating that Don was thinking of himself as a caring and generous older brother right now.

Leo didn’t even bother to reply and went to the door. It was closed and he knocked, waiting for someone to open. But it seemed genuinely closed. There was no car.

Don followed his gaze.

“The Mercedes is old and you deserve better. What about I give it to Mikey?” Don suggested. “He mentioned many time being jealous of your car.” Don made an attempt at a smile. It was unnerving. “I will buy you another one. Have you any preference? I saw a Bentley on…”

How did Donnie dare to offer a second-hand car to Mikey and buy a new one for Leo? Was he blind? Was he not getting the situation at all? Did that brain of his only work to make cash? Somewhat Leo knew it was because Donnie felt differently for him. But Leo took it as a way to placate him, to make him forget what had happened between them. Anyway, Leo refused to be favored if it was to upset Mikey. He didn’t want to be preferred that way if it stopped there. If Don was open about loving Leo and wanting him as lover, the gift would make more sense and Mikey would be less mad. Then, Don would allow Raph to live as well and release him from his grip. Poor Raphael could love Donatello, he was choking as Mikey and himself were.

Donatello's big brother's love for them was twisted, making them wicked as well.

Donnie’s phone rang again. He took the call and got sucked in his business world again, absent mindlessly following Leo back to the car.

Where Mikey was? Leo didn’t know and he tried again to reach Mikey. But if there’s something he knew was that it was done with Donatello. He ignited the car, his mind buzzing with a mix of anxiety and despair. And contempt, he decided, glancing at his brother next to him, liting up a second cigarette while talking fees. 

“No, we are not taking monthly payment!” Don dropped icily. “We are not that kind of business.”

“I was in love with you,” Leo blurted out and Don stared at him, gaping. “But now, I wonder if I even see you as something else than a bitchy controlling Boss.”

“I call you back,” Don exclaimed, before hanging up. “Leon...” he started, uneasiness obvious on his face. “I can’t…”

Before Leo heard the rest of the sentence and his heart broke more, his own phone rang.

“Don’t take that call,” Don warned and Leo snickered. How Don dared to demand him shit when he had spoken more at a bunch of strangers in the car all their way there.

“Hello,” Leo said, after having pressed the button on his dash. 

“Are you the mother of Mikey?” someone asked on the phone.

“Yes!” Leo exclaimed immediately. To mock him, Mikey had saved Leo number under the name of “Mom.” He won’t waste his time explaining it. “Where is he?”

“I don’t want trouble...I was about to drop him at the cops or the hospital...because I think he took too much…” the guy started to explain while the pit in Leo’s stomach grew bigger. “I think he robbed a house or something...I didn’t want lil Mikey getting in trouble, neither. So, he is out of cold and I looked at his phone to call his family…He always spoke of you with love, M’am.” The guy was obviously high too.

“You did well,” Leo replied, in a shaky voice but Don wasn’t of that opinion.

“Call 911, you moron!” Don snapped aggressively.

“Please don’t mind my brother. Tell me where you are,” Leo said in his softest voice.

The guy gave an address and Leo pulled over to enter it into his GPS. When he was done, he turned toward Don.

“I’m calling an ambulance,” Don said, pulling his phone and at the exact moment, it rang again and Leo lose it.

“Get the fuck out of my car,” Leo growled. “I don’t want to see your face for a few days. I know you are Mikey’s legal guardian until he is 21 because you dared to bother a dying man with official papers, but you have no power over me. I will come back with Mikey because he is forced to stay with you and I don’t want him to deal alone with you. Poor Raph neither.”

“Let Raph out of it!”

“Get out,” Leo barked again. Mikey was somewhere overdosing and Leo has no time to waste. He just knew that if Don was next to him when he saw Mikey, he would hurt him...badly hurt him. “Don’t make me physically doing it!”

Something in Leo’s fierce expression convinced Donnie and he get out of the car slowly. Leo slammed the gas pedal and sped to the place Mikey was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Champagne Night, according to Leo's memory, by NightNeko


	13. Interlude: Mikey's portrait by Boxfish

**Michelangelo**

**Nicknames: Mike, Mikey, lil Mikey, Micheal (by Don only)**

**Birthday: January 24**

**Age: 18**

**Height: 5'2**

**Position: Cook/Spy/Pick-Pocket/Errand boy/Cameraman/Hamato brother streaming chain animator/Raph or Leo sidekick**

**Sexual position: very keen and submissive bottom, but will complain loudly if he is unsatisfied**

**Ability: Sneaking, spying, stealing, disguise. Rising Don's pressure. Oral sex**

**Weapon: Garrot Wire and his cute look**


	14. Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Raph portrait by the incredible BoxFish will be posted today, November 21, NYC time. Come check it soon!

Even if Leo had probably done the same, the first thing Don did was to not take the client’s call and instead call 911. He still remembered the address and even if Leo didn’t want him there, paramedics would probably be welcomed. 

Then, with a sigh, he motioned for a cab. 

He had to ride in a cab again, even if sitting in such a dirty backseat was making him gag. April was living close. He could have stopped at her place, bought her merch, and fell into a vacuum filled by work and contracts. Anyway, his brothers had already the wrong impression he was a cocaine addict, so why not make them right? But Raph was at home alone, probably very upset and Don refused to fuck it up with the only remaining brother that liked him. From day one, being a good brother to Raph was Donnie’s number one priority. He just didn’t always have the time to show it explicitly. Anyway, Raph understood. 

He asked to be driven home and promised a $50 tip if he was there in less than ten minutes.

The next thing he did was to change the message on the voicemail and direct all the upcoming calls to it. 

_“Due to exceptional circumstances. Hamato Brothers will be closed from Monday to Wednesday. Please convey your request through email. We will reply to you in a 24 hours delay.”_

Leo had said they wouldn’t be back before a few days, but Don was sure Leo and Mikey could not be out of their home for more than 48 hours. It couldn’t be. Leo had heard he had scheduled a contract for Wednesday. Leonardo was too professional to make their business look bad by not being back on time with Mikey and if he was...well too bad, Don would burn that place himself. Any dummy-except Guy Fawkes-could strike a matchstick.

But Leo and Mikey would be back before that, he repeated in his mind, balling his fists. Donnie wouldn’t be abandoned again. Not after all the work, the sacrifices, he went through to give them a luxurious lifestyle. They needed him; they were mutants, they had to stick together, it was basic survival!

Despite the no-smoking sign in the cab, Don lit up a cigarette, waving dispassionately a banknote before sliding it by the opening. Now that his customers were taken care of by the voicemail, and he had ten minutes to waste, he scrolled through security devices again. There were movement detectors, he could fix on Leo and Mikey’s windows. And now that he was there, why not add those detectors and bars at every window? There was a security alarm for both doors, but someone from the inside could still leave. Don could have it locked with retina detection. 

Mikey wouldn’t be able to sneak outside without his permission. And if he had to do an errand Don or Raph would accompany him. Anyway, delivery existed for people who couldn’t leave their room. Suddenly, to pay a delivery fee was tissue paper in comparison to that anxiety knotting his stomach. 

They were going to pay for the stress they were giving him. 

Donatello was about to look for a therapist making home visits when he stumbled on a Google article from his search about security devices. His mouth grew dry with arousal and expectation as he clicked on it.

_**‘Male Chastity Belt, coming with a butt plug and penis enclosure to remind your sub who is in charge! Enslave him.’** _

Images flashed of his mind of a frustrated Leo, slicing people up neatly to fill a contract. After, he would return home, begging, pleading on his knees for Don to unlock him. Generously, if Leo had behaved, Donnie would do it. Leon would depend on Donnie’s good will to get a release. Then, Leo’s only option would to jerk off and fuck himself with his toys. Don would stay there and watch, to lock him up again right after, after he had allowed Leo to take a hot bath. Enslaved by the belt, depending on him, Leonardo would soften and return to his loveable nurturing nature Don missed so much.

 _“He would also be yours alone,_ ” a voice in his mind whispered to him. _"Locked like your most precious belonging should be."_

The taxi stopped in front of the Ramen shop, bringing Don back into reality. He wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t act like a caveman and lock Leo. Well, not with a chastity device. To fuck around, Leo needed to be out of the house, and Don was determined to leave Leo very little opportunity to do so. Anyway, he has to stop treating Leo differently from Michelangelo. If he locked Leo with it, he would need to do the same with Mikey. Thinking of it made him reconsider it. 

Maybe the chastity device was going overboard. After all, Leo couldn’t be his. He knew that. 

_“If he can’t be yours, he should belong to no one,”_ the same voice murmured. _“Buy it!"_

Don felt a shiver as he thought he could order a customized device, that would look more like a piece of fine jewelry than a BDSM toy. His breath turned labored as he imagined a platinum device, carved with blue diamonds and with a sapphire as big as a pigeon egg at the end of the buttplug. If it was magnificent, Leo would see it more like a fancy accessory and would be less reluctant. Leo would have to wear it under his pants and only Don would know what the chastity belt looked like and only he would have the key, to unlock a very flustered Leon. He would depend on Don, would have to ask to be unlocked in his softest voice, spreading his legs and begging ‘for release’.

So breathtaking, so beautiful...for his eyes only, as it should be.

_"Buy it! Then, you will be free of those lewd or jealous ideas and be able to focus on what matters, your business. Lock him up. He would worship you as you deserve…"_

Don shook his head, decided to not act like such a lunatic as to put a cock lock on his sibling and he mentally killed his incoming boner. Instinctively, he knew his brothers would be mad. Leo would bite his head off at the minute Don tried to put a chastity device on him. Then, he would call him a jealous bastard.

He wasn’t jealous. Leo was the hoe.

This wasn’t the time to think of coercive measures. What he needed right now was a way to coax Leo and Mikey, placate them for them to stop rebelling against him. Mikey definitively needed a car, even if he wouldn’t drive it anywhere, Don snickered. 

It was Mikey’s first and last time overdosing on a stranger’s carpet, he vowed mentally. Don was determined to force on him the daily drug tests he had planned. After such a close call, Leo would agree.

He had never seen Leo that angry. For a heartbeat, Don had seen his own death in his brother’s gaze. What could he buy to mollify him? What did Leo need to be sweet and caring again as he was before? 

_"He told you he had been in love with you."_

Donatello released a shaky breath. It wasn’t the first time Leo confessed his feelings. He did too, during the Champagne night, flushed and his eyes gleaming. Don had been so carried away, so far gone in the bliss to have given in to his desire, he probably had a matching look on his face. 

But to fall in love was a big no and so, he had chased away the memory of that feverish gaze. And now, the black eyes on him burned like frostbite.

And if Mikey died...or had any sequel…Those eyes would be as sharp as knives for the rest of his life. Anyway, even in the unlikely case Leo forgave him, Don himself would never forgive himself to have failed Mikey. 

_"It's your fault. You didn’t hide well enough using drugs. Mikey imitated you. You wanted him to have you as a role model, right? You got your wish!"_

Fuck, he needed a drink, something strong to calm down. The more he thought about it, the more submerged he felt. 

Panic was so close to reaching the surface and panic was too strong a feeling for Don to fall for it, even once. If he did, he was done and couldn’t resume work. He has to drown it in an ocean of words, ideas, and planning. 

But it was easier said than done. 

He had been neglectful and weak, he chastised himself. He enumerated mentally his errors: Leaving cocaine in his jacket when Mikey was the best pickpocket in the city. Fucking around with Leo, instead of watching over Mikey.

Well, it was Leo's fault too. He had admitted going to that shady place for partying. Don shook in rage, thinking back on it. The idea of some sweaty, plebeian hands on his brother drove him mad. He had to think of something else.

He had to drown away that guilt that was overwhelming him. 

It was also Leo's fault; he seduced him. What if it was staged, Mikey wasn’t even overdosing and Leo just schemed all of this to run away? They were maybe heading right now for the airport?

_"Stop it, Donatello, you're being paranoid."_

He won’t survive that stress, he thought, his hand clenching his chest. Those two motherfuckers just shortened his life of ten years.

He couldn’t wait for their return. Then, when they were back, Donatello wouldn’t be ever that scared again, scared to the point he wasn’t even able to fully hide it. He will make sure it never happens again. Better safe than sorry will be his motto. 

Could he drug them and chip them while they are out of it? They would never know. April could do that, damn she robbed and stole one of his kidneys.

"You're there, Sir," the driver recalled. 

All of his mental debatings had lasted how long?

He paid the driver and ambled home, forcing his face into an expressionless mask. He should not scare Raph. Raph was his reason to work so hard. Don had promised to himself long ago he would heal him and he will. 

Raph was innocent and needed to be spared of any stress factor. 

When he opened the door, Raph was there, kneeling on the ground, just in front of the door. Tears were still running down his cheeks and Don tried to not flinch. 

“Where is Baby?” Raph asked. He looked so miserable.“Where are Orange and Blue?”

Don felt his chest tightening to the point he felt like choking, but it was still with a steady voice that he replied: 

“They will be back later.” He compelled his mind to not picture Mikey’s pale and unconscious form. “Did you close your garden for the winter? I need to take a look at the greenhouse if we want strawberries at Christmas. You know how Blue loves those."

He thought back of his brothers, again. What if Mikey died, his mind kept asking as he struggled to keep an undazed front. They wouldn’t ever heal from that. Don didn’t even want to think about that possibility. It couldn’t be. Leo would make it in time, if there was something Don had faith in it was Leo’s deep care for his siblings; at least Raph and Mikey, his mind added bitterly. Leo wouldn’t allow Mikey to die on them.

Raph was studying him and Don managed to plaster something looking like a smile on his face. Raphael was an innocent needing to be preserved. If Don loses Raph, he would just pull the gun from the drawer and shoot himself.

“Let's check on the garden together,” Don suggested. 

The garden on the roof was Donatello’s offering to Raph to have a playground. In their household, during the day, Raph was the one with less responsibility. But for Raph to feel useful and also, have his own space and some fresh air-since he wasn’t allowed to leave the building alone-Don had given him a rooftop garden, with a greenhouse, a watering system, and windbreaks. He had done everything he could for that place being a bubble of peace and beauty for Raphael.

Raph spent all his free time, day or night, sunny or rainy. He loved to take care of the vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers. Just to sit and watch them seemed to put him at ease. He also pets some stray cats that were always climbing to their rooftop, sure to be fed. Don had tried to prevent Raph from doing so. What if the cat had rabies? But to break Raph’s heart by telling him no was too much for Donnie, even if he tried to be steel-hearted. Anyway, there was no chance Raph got bitten, he was too sweet, too warm, Don felt like melting every time he got close. This is why he always kept a cautious eight-foot distance from Raphael, except in the car. 

When Don had free time-it was happening less and less, he loved to watch Raph watching his plants from a bench he had installed near the fountain for Raph to throw seed to the pigeons.

Raph’s simple soul was so easy to please and to see him happy was soothing Don too. He had at least managed to make Raph something else than the sobbing, terrorized mess from the orphanage. 

Those days in the rooftop garden, surrounded by blooming roses and watching Raph so content, Don loved himself and felt he had truly achieved something enough to stop working so much.

Suggesting the garden was the best thing Don found at the moment to distract Raph’s mind. The snapping turtle was very proud of his tomatoes and his flowers and was usually eager to show them when one of his brothers came with him. If Raph cried or insisted too much, he would snap. It was already hard enough to pretend everything was fine. 

He was sure it was a smart move, but, unexpectedly, Raph resisted.

“Where are they?” he asked mournfully. “I don’t want baby Orange mad.”

This made Don pause. Indeed, what had happened for Mikey to run away? Donatello was sure it wasn’t because of the new rules. Those were too sensible. Something must have happened; something with Raph since Leo and he were busy having sex, he added in his mind with a slight uneasiness like every time he thought about it. But it wasn’t making sense; Raph adored Mikey and he never hurt any of his siblings, regardless of how big and strong he was. The first time Raph held Michelangelo, it was with a single hand, Mikey being tiny. He had held him with a lot of care and his eyes were already shining with love. Damn, Don was almost jealous of how Raph liked Mikey. So, it was very unlikely Raph did something to upset the youngest.

“What happened,” he asked softly. Understanding the reason Mikey lost it would help Don to find a way to appease him. “Why did Mikey tell you he would see people who like him better?”

To Donatello’s astonishment, Raph seemed troubled. He turned flustered, and played with his fingers, all fidgety, he mumbled something like “I don’t know,” and proposed to see the garden.

Don needed no psychology classes to understand Raphael was lying to him and for a moment, he forgot he had to be expressionless. He was about to ask him straightforwardly to stop lying and spill the beans already, but he somewhat managed to control his first impulse. It wasn’t like Raph wouldn’t trip on his lies before sixty minutes had passed. But to pressure him would make him sweat, tremble and cry. Anyway, whatever had happened it was enough to upset Raph. Whatever had happened, Don was convinced Mikey overreacted. There was no way Raph hurt him.

So, he followed Raph to the roof, and nervously, Raph threw seeds to the birds.

“How are the mangos?”Don asked to break the silence. Thanks to his industrious mind and skilled hands, they could grow not only cucumber and tomatoes but also exotic fruits. He created a rail system with an endless screw that feeds a furnace continuously with wood residue. The system produced hot water, which circulates in pipes, in the greenhouse.

Thus heated throughout the winter, the greenhouse provides a favorable environment for the many exotic plants to grow to a good size and bear fruits such as mango, pineapple, banana, and papaya. There were also more common as peaches and strawberries they could have at any season. It was a source of pride for Raph to take care of them; it was feeding his family as a good older brother should do. Don was making sure Raph was aware of that.

With less eagerness than usual, Raphael walked to the greenhouse. He spent a great deal of time observing the fruits, praising Raph about them, to win Leo some time to be back. But there was a limit to how long he could pretend to care for fruits.

 _“What if he didn’t come back? You saw him, right? Now, he hates you.”_ Don steadied his breathing and dismissed his need for smoking. It was a nasty habit he would break right now. It showed he had no control over himself and so, didn’t have what it takes to lead his brothers.

Raph’s growling stomach kicked him out from his thoughts. Raphael’s stomach was set as a Swiss watch. It was growling at 12h30, every day.

Don ran a hand down his face as discreetly as could. This day just keeps getting better. Now, he had to feed Raph. Well, Raph wasn’t disabled. He could open a can or boil water to do pasta just fine. But the meal will be edible, that’s all, making Mikey’s absence sharper. 

Anyway, he knew Raph wasn’t fooled and knew deep inside of him there was something wrong. Raph just didn’t dare to ask because he knew that Don too, would serve him only lies. 

“We can make a salad with those mango and papayas, right?” Don remembered Mikey served him an excellent Thai salad the week before. He was almost sure he could duplicate it with Raph’s help. Anyway, Don couldn’t complain about having to slice fruits when Leo had probably done a cardiac massage to Mikey and had ridden in an ambulance.

What was happening to them, he thought with anguish. He pulled out his phone.

“I’m going to look for the recipe. We will do it together and then, when baby Orange comes back from his errand, he will be very impressed. We can save some for them.” Don lied shamelessly while texting Leo. 

**_“Where are you, how is he?”_ **

Leo could be mad at him, he wouldn’t deny Don to know about their little brother’s state. 

Once the message had been sent, he indeed looked for a recipe and pretended enthusiasm. Raph followed him in the kitchen and in the empty room where Mikey cooked while singing pop music, passing plates to a smiling Leo, Don almost cracked.

It was frightening, his knee buckled and his eyes watered and he never felt so distraught since Leo and Mikey’s assault. Even that time, it was worse because all of it had happened in Don’s presence and despite his brain, his strong wills, and his discipline, both of them were upset and missing.  
Leo hadn’t replied yet. 

He was so caught up in his distress, he jumped almost out of his skin when Raph put his big hand on his shell, as a comforting pat. Don snapped the arm away, tenfold upset. Raph shouldn’t have to comfort him; it was Don’s job to do so. And now, because Donatello was weak to the point to brush the breakdown, Raph had to care for him, when Don vowed to spend his life doing the other way around.

“I’m fine! I didn’t sleep that’s all!”

Indeed, to swallow three sleeping pills and sleep the pain away would be great, even if he was so stressed he wasn't sure three would be enough. But he wouldn’t dare to blink an eye, anymore. What if Raph ran away too.

Raphael was looking at him with deep sadness, his back hunched as Donnie’s sins and mistakes were weighing on him and Don knew he couldn’t bear that alone.   
He pulled his phone again, to check if he didn’t miss the message, but Leon, that selfish son of a bitch, hadn’t replied yet. 

_“Calm down, maybe he didn’t do it on purpose. In the hospital, you can’t have your phone on.”_

Releasing a shaky breath, he dialed April’s number. Friends were for situations like that, right? And Donnie had been there for her when some shit had happened in her family.

When she took the call, he didn’t even greet her, going straight to the point.

“I need you and I’m ready to pay you for your services,” he declared.

“it’s is you again?”April asked. She was probably still sleeping-or rather, she returned to sleep after Don left. “It is about sex? I’m not sure you can afford it, Donnie,” she chuckled.

He rolled his eyes. He so wished it would be that simple. 

“No, I don’t call you for that,” he retorted coldly. “I want to hire you for the day as...a psychotherapist, a cook, and a...babysitter,” he said in a very low voice, to not insult Raph. He really needed to have a meltdown or sleep or start smoking opium to calm down, but he knew he couldn’t bear Raph's mournful gaze alone. 

“How much?” April asked and Don sighed with ease. April was so not complicated. She could read the atmosphere and understood Don wasn’t in the mood to be questioned.

“What about $400 by hour you spend here, starting from the moment you are at my door.”It was an eye-watering salary, but Don’s eyes weren’t on the money, right now. Anyway, maybe Leo and Mikey would be back before April even makes it to their home. “I will pay for the cab, of course.”

“Are you that desperate?” she mused aloud.

“Yes,” he replied honestly.

“Okay, so I will take $500.”April wasn’t even joking, smelling the opportunity. She knew Donatello enough that to be so frenzied to call her, he wouldn't bargain. 

"Fine!" he yielded. "Be here in twenty minutes or the deal is over! Raph is hungry!"

He hung up, his forehead in his hand in a thoughtful gesture after having glanced at the time. His meeting had been interrupted at 9:15. At 10h:10, he had known Mikey had run away. At 11:20, Leo had ditched him. It was only a little more than one hour ago and Don felt like it had been a week; a very hectic, draining week.

“So, I thought it would be nice to have someone here for lunch and dinner. I was also thinking about redecorating our home and having a girls input could be a plus value.” He sucked in a deep breath. “My friend April is coming over.” All his brothers were wary of April for some mysterious reasons. They were far too possessive of him, Don had decided long ago. But what he knew for sure was that he would never ask for any decoration tips from April. That girl has trinkets and some framed macrame pinned on her walls. “You know her, right?”

Raph nodded with quiet resignation. Don huffed, annoyed. Raph has no reason to dislike April. It was all Leo’s fault and his jealousy. But he couldn’t snap at Raph when he had so many things to hide.

Don put Raph in charge of slicing the fruits and anxiously watched the minutes fly by. He tried to not pull out his phone at every minute to see if he got a message from Leonardo. How dare he give him the silent treatment? After how hard he worked for them! He only wanted to know if Mikey was alright for fuck sake!

When the bell rang, Donatello threw himself to the door in a very unusual eagerness. The atmosphere was so thick he couldn’t breathe. April was a gust of fresh air.

“It was about fucking time!” he exclaimed. April only smirked. Did she take her damn time on purpose?

“Money is just my tips. I want to know everything,” she said, with a predatory grin. “I got something for you as well,” she added, forcing a bag in his hand. “Of course, I will add it to the invoice.”

Raph was still too close by and so, Donatello replied with a scowl, only. He still took what she had to offer to him. 

Leonardo still didn’t reply and he was losing his mind. But now that April was there, Don could at least escape to Raph’s gullible presence. 

He still forced himself to go to the end of the recipe and even have two bites from it despite his stomach in knots. April did her job and praised the lunch to the point to ask for a refill. Raphael carefully filled her plate and Don couldn’t help but think Raph had the same cautiousness that if he was feeding an alligator when he was the dangerous beast among them. 

“How about you show your garden to April?” Don suggested Raph. He would call that fucker directly. Leonardo wouldn’t dare to not answer his call. “I have some business calls to make.”

He didn’t wait for an answer, making a beeline to his office. He knew Raphael wouldn’t attempt to prevent him from anything. Raphael never contested any of Don’s decisions, but it was still with a relieved heart that he locked himself into his office.

Lying to Raph was making him feel like a scumbag even if it was for his own sake.

Out of habit, he turned on his laptop, while he was typing Leo’s number feverishly from his other hand. He was paying for that son of a bitch’s cell phone line! The least Leon could do was to answer him!

But Leo didn’t answer and Don felt like shattering. 

He still remembered as vividly as it was yesterday when he saw Mikey for the first time. He was such a tiny baby, sucking on Leo’s arm flesh as he missed his real mommy, even if the turtle wasn’t a mammal. He looked around with such shiny-but with a hint of dubiousness already-eyes. Leon and Mikey were such an endearing display, something that could even go through Don’s armor, and he had vowed very seriously to take care of them until his last breath.

How dare Leo act as if Don didn’t mean it?

To give Leo some time and keep himself busy without going crazy, Donnie checked his email and voicemail. Contracts were piling up and after thirty minutes, he realized that the whole two months were already filled. The business was going well, but would he have brothers to fulfill these contracts?

His cellphone was burning him like a heated iron as he stared at it with no incoming message from Leonardo. How could he reply to all his clients when he fell an aching gap in his chest?

April’s bag was burning him too and he decided to fuck it with his usual restraint. He just swore to never smoke again, right? The situation was critical and Don needed his mind sharper than ever to deal with clients for their family business to not crumble and also act as nothing had happened for Raphael’s well-being. 

So much pressure, all because Leo, that jerk, couldn’t reassure him. Was he thinking Don wasn’t human to care and be worried sick?

He called Leonardo again and left a voice message.

_“Call me.”_

He wasn’t able to say more than that. Dealing with emotion wasn’t his scene and he noticed he had been scratching himself so much in his anguish, that he had drawn blood. 

He called three clients to confirm the contract and then called Leonardo again.

No answer.

It was 3:00 PM and he was losing his mind.

He got into a frenzy of online shopping, buying Leo and Mikey matching designer leather jackets and jewels. He was at $17,000 of expense and was feeling as shitty as before.

He texted Leonardo again.

_**"Call me."** _

He couldn’t put more words into how he feels.

He pulled out the bag and his platinum credit card and made himself two three-inch rails on this desk. He tightly rolled up a $100 bill and snorted the first rail. He sniffed hard to get the power all the way up into his nose, eager to feel some relief as soon as possible.

Can Leo call back before he goes to the second one?

He dipped his fingertips in the tap water on a glass on his desk to snort some of it, to help with the dryness. And, immediately he began again, snorting the second rail with his other nostril. Then he used his card to clean up any leftovers, making one last tiny line, and he sucked that too.

Afterward, he felt numb. He stood up and he looked at himself for a moment in the mirror on the wall, until he was sure the drug was going to do its thing quickly enough for him to face his April and Raph. Well, April’s opinion on that matter was irrelevant and Raph wouldn’t notice anything in his innocence, anyway.

As usual, April had given him too much and with nervous stride, Don left his office to flush the leftover before he turned out so weak he snorted all of it. But then, maybe he would overdose and Leo would care about him? 

He dismissed the selfish idea. All the mess that was currently happening was because Don was slacking lately. This would be the last, he swore to himself again.

April and Raph were still in the kitchen, at a careful distance, despite how curiously April was staring at the snapping turtle doing the dishes.

With a harsh move, Don pulled open the freezer door and firmly placed an ice cream pot in front of Raph. The coke had made him feel some self-control again. 

“You have been a good boy. Good boys get a reward,” Don said, forcing a spoon into Raph’s hand. The chocolate ice cream was a sure means to have Raph asleep in thirty minutes or so after he finished the whole pot. Donatello needed to talk with April without being worried Raph would understand and get upset.

Raph took the pot and the spoon with the same soft submission when he usually was very happy to get ice cream. He sat in a corner and started digging in it, sighing at every bite.

“Come April, I want to show you something in my office,” Don said, unnecessarily loud, in an attempt to fool Raph. 

She followed him, with a knowing smirk on her face, guessing Don’s true intention. 

“So, what’s this about,” she asked, the very second the door was shut behind her. “You left my house in great spirits this morning. Fucking up isn’t you.”

Don dropped in his office chair.

“This is the problem, I’m not like me, lately.”

He explained to her the event, what had been his intentions, encouraged by April’s sharp attention on him. She wasn’t showing any surprise as he told her about how he had seen the “restructuring” of their business. Don felt validated: he knew he wasn’t exaggerating with these rules. His brothers had been the ones overreacting. 

“While I was busy convincing Leo that it was necessary, Mikey sneaked away,” he retold. Of course, he didn’t tell April what he was truly doing. “Raph barged in in tears and told us Mikey was gone. After Leo was done with his shower and dressed, we drove to find Mikey. We visited two places before receiving a call from some of Mikey’s friends,” he added with a grimace.

April’s huge grin plastered on her face made Don pause in his story.

“Why are you grinning like an idiot,” he snarled. “Do I have cilantro between my teeth?”

“Your convincing must have been so hard, your brother sweat so much for him to take a shower in such an emergency?” she chuckled and Don turned livid, angry to have given himself away. 

“Whatever,” he snapped. “The fact is we got a call about Mikey overdosing somewhere. Leo turned frantic and mad at me for some vague reasons and dropped me in the middle of nowhere. That was about three hours ago. Since then, that asshole isn’t replying to any call.”

“I see.” April’s tone was softer. “But you have to understand your brother probably had a lot on his plate, actually.”

Don reached for his cigarette case, before dropping his arms. He wouldn’t fall into the temptation. He wouldn’t fall for any kind of temptation, now; neither the smoke, neither the sex.

“He could still just send me a memo about Mikey being alive! Mikey is my brother, too!”

April shrugged, like Don’s indignation wasn’t legitimate.

“You can call the hospitals around taking mutants and ask if they have a Box turtle mutant among their patients at the emergencies. If having news about him is the real issue here.” She sneered as she could read Donnie as he was a book. “You should have done that instead of calling me.”

“The reason I called you was that I need Raph to not suspect what is going on,” Don stated firmly. “I don’t need him getting worried too. So, you will keep him busy until they are back.”

“If they come back,” his mind taunted him.

“Your idea is good, I will call the hospitals.” At least, he would know where they are. He should have thought of it before, but the stress and the need to protect Raph had fried his brain. Then, to hell with Leo’s warnings, he would join them. Leonardo wouldn’t dare to make a scene at the hospital.

The second hospital he called was the good one, and Don was already grabbing his coat when he heard Leo and Mikey had left about thirty minutes ago. He hung up, very pale. At least Mikey was alive, but now where were his brothers? The fact that Leo now delivered from his frenzied state didn’t even call him to reassure him drove him dizzy with anger.

“So?” April asked.

“They are fine and out of the hospital, already,” Don replied flatly. “Thirty minutes ago,” he added. Realizing how much of a motherfucker Leo was, he hit the desk with his palm.

“Well, that’s a relief,” April said lightly, but her black eyes were studying him mercilessly. “They will be back soon. I hope you know that you owe me a minimum of four hours’ wage.” 

“Leo said he wouldn’t be back before a few days,” Donatello uttered finally, in a darker tone. “He is mad because he said…” Don ran his hand down his face “I’m not even sure I understand what he wants. He said I wasn’t paying enough attention to Mikey, but that was all that my meeting was about. I wanted to set things with Michelangelo.”

“He said they would be back…” April trailed off as if Don was the drama queen of the story. “But the question that interests me is what do you plan to do when they are back?”

Again flashed into Don’s mind the chastity belt image. He was sure to convince Tiffany’s Co to get him a customized one. Leo then would remain at his side forever and Mikey would have no choice but to do the same. Raph would be happy too, with all his siblings around him.

“I can’t allow my siblings to wander around, ignoring my calls, doing whatever they want during working hours. They aren’t only my brothers, but my employees as well.” He narrowed his eyes, more and more irate as the situation was sinking in his mind. How did Leo dare to treat him like that? Don must spend around $600,000 a year on that bastard! “They have to understand that their bad decisions will lead to some consequences.” 

“You talk like my parents used to.” For April, it was meant as an insult. “You can fire them, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind,” April retorted. “Maybe that is what they need: normalcy.”

Don huffed hearing that nonsense. Normalcy won’t buy Mikey that car he wanted so much.

“I won’t fire them, of course. I already paid and trained them too much to just drop it. Their skills are unmatched,” he said disdainfully. “But they indeed need a little discipline training. When I find them..”

“What if they know what you are planning, don’t like it, and decide to not come back?” She folded her arms, watching him closely. She so wanted to witness him losing his cool, but Don wouldn’t give her that pleasure, even if she was voicing his worst fear. “Would you hire a bounty hunter to track them? You’re crazy enough for that. It always surprised me you didn’t put a chastity belt on your bro Leo. You’re such a possessive bastard,” she taunted. “Of him specifically.”

“I’m not,” Don denied dispassionately, even if his heart skipped a beat at the mention of the device that had been driving him mad with hunger since the morning. “And for your information, I won’t go as low as to call some of our competitors. May I remind you we offer bounty hunter services?”

“You have such a business with a wide portfolio.” April rolled her eyes. “Now that I have eaten lunch with you and watched over your big bro while you were busy.” She did air quotes on that word. “What now?”

Don paused a moment. Raph was probably half asleep. In fact, April had nothing more to do than keep him company, for the time to not feel like a slow agony. But how to reply without losing his face. April helped by asking a question he wasn’t expecting. 

“I always wondered how a guy like you, only busy with paperwork, could be so fit and have such nice tight, arms, and shoulders?” she wanted to know. “I don’t picture you in a gym full of douchebags. Not, because you aren’t yourself a douchebag,” she added with a snicker. “But I bet you dislike touching something someone else has sweat on.”

“We have a fully equipped gym and Dojo in the basement,” Don replied. “I train every day from 5h45 to 6h30.”

“Oh, interesting. May I visit?”

Donatello shrugged but stood up. It was a means to fill the wait. 

When they left the office, Don went to check on Raph. As expected, he was snoring and with a genuine, moved smile, Don pulled gently the ice cream pot from Raph’s hold. 

“Why aren’t you as sweet and brotherly as you are with Raph with your other brothers,” she asked as they went downstairs. 

“I act brotherly with them all,” Don countered. “I’m more patient with Raph because I think it’s obvious enough why.” He disliked explaining Raph to strangers. It awakened his wariness and grudge against humans.

“No, you aren’t. You treat your bro Leo like he’s your girlfriend and Mikey like he’s your annoying red-haired step-child."

“I don’t treat them like that. I remind you Leo’s job is to flirt, seduce, and sleep with people. I won’t tolerate my lover to act so promiscuously,” he snarled. He didn’t say Leo’s job wasn’t to sleep with them and the fact Leo did anyway was putting him in such a blind rage, he went so far as to decide to give a fine to people daring to place a hand in his brother’s pants. “Anyway, here you go,” he said, showing off the basement.  
They have a very complete gym. There were dumbbells, a sit-up bench, a punching bag, an elliptical and half of it was covered with mats. 

April questioned him about his training and his brothers.

“After a quick warm-up, I do thirty minutes of elliptical. Then, I hit the punching bag,” he explained in a dull voice. He didn’t like to talk too much about himself. 

“I can’t picture you using a punching bag. To see you so alive must be unnerving.”

“For my brothers, I’m not supervising their training anymore,” Don continued, dismissing April’s intervention. It reminds him of Leo's comments about his face. “They are adults. Well, Raph and Leo are. Raph uses the press bench and the dumbells. Usually, Leo likes to go through katas…”

Don took a pause, his throat suddenly dry. He still remembered how beautiful Leo was when he trained. It was exactly why Don was now making sure to train when his brothers were still asleep. He felt April’s gaze on him and so he pulled himself together. “He also practices his aim.” He motioned to the target board. “With ninja stars and knives. He trains Mikey too. I think he is getting pretty good, too.”

He loved them so much. How he missed them. But his mistake had been to show too much how he cared. This is why they have managed to hurt him.

“Are you upset, now?” April inquired. She seemed like a cat cornering a mouse. “Your voice sounds different.”

“It’s only hot,” he lied, walking with great stride to the restroom next to the gym. He turned the faucet and splashed his face with cold water a few times. For once, Donatello regretted having flushed the drugs. The drug effect was gone and the sensation of confidence and self-control had already faded off and his brothers weren’t back. He needed more of it but won't get that low than asking. His weakness was costing him enough.

He felt April’s gaze still on him and he was about to tell himself she was more a hindrance than anything when she casually proposed sex as a way to pass time.

“I think you need to get laid until you can satisfy your raging hard-on on your brother,” she explained as she would have suggested Tai-Chi.

“For the last time, I don’t have any desire for my brother Leonardo.”

She teased him about how he knew she was talking about that one, but Don decided she was right about something. Having sex would allow him to vent. Anyway, April was begging for it.

“Fair warning, I’m rough,” Don said. He stared at her with intent but she stared as well, her black eyes shining. Maybe he could get it up. What can he say? He has a thing for dark-eyed partners. He can have a fetish.“I’m also more gifted by nature than humans, if you catch my drift. I told you because you seem to not understand what you are getting yourself into.”

“You’re tall and a mutant, so I guessed that much,” she said with a shiver that she tried to hide and Don sneered. How long since she was horny for him, he wondered. For once, it was feeling good to have power over her. Those were the only relationships he felt comfortable in. “I bet your brother Raph must be huge, then,” she continued dreamily.

The comment softened Don’s cock before it even got half-hard. 

“Don’t even try to lay a hand on Raph because friend or not, I would kill you,” he threatened seriously. He couldn't completely hide how affected he was, seeing the images in his mind he so wanted to forget. “They touched him there...they were curious about his body. I saw all of it and will never forget it. I’ve spent years reconstructing him. I won’t let any horny girl or guy fuck him up again! Whoever they are!”

A heavy silence stretched. April opened her mouth, but Don felt his phone vibrating. When he saw it was from a private caller, he answered eagerly.

“We know who you are and what you are doing for a living,” a voice said. “We have all the proof we need to arrest you.”

Don paled. There was no way his brothers snitched him. It must be a client. Don was too clever and cautious to have done something to out them.

“But skills like yours could be very useful for our organizations. This is why we propose you a deal.”

“I'm listening,” he said, motioning to April to stay quiet.

“We need trained spies and fighters, with a brain to coordinate them. But more importantly, we need them to be mutants,” the voice explained. 

“I see, what is the deal?” Don asked with his businessman's voice.

“There’s this hotel, The Grand Nexus Hotel. Shenanigans are happening there; not only the usual racket but according to our source, dozens of citizens are abducted, mutated, and then sold to become illegal fighters in an arena there every week. There are too many people missing. Last week, we counted fifty-seven missing people. Many are model citizens. Panic and riots are about to start.”

Indeed, it was true. In the past two years, more and more people had been reported missing.

“We need you to sneak in there and steal the ooze the owner of the place used to mutate them. Of course, this is dangerous and could take weeks. This is why we will reward you handsomely.”

At the money amount, Don’s eyes widened. He calculated quickly. With that, only with the interest, he and his brother could have $675,000 annually each until their last day. Of course, at the moment, Don was making more money. But if he kept all his brother’s cuts…”

“With that, you can start a real, not as lucrative, but legal business.”

Indeed, he could start another business, one that he wouldn’t need his brothers for. Something that could make more money than the ramen shop and would be more prestigious. One that his brothers wouldn’t have to ever leave the building and so, he would never live again with the anguish he’d felt for hours now. 

“How would it work?” he asked, still a little dubious. 

“I will send you the details,” the man said, before hanging up.

“What was it?” April asked. “You seem very happy. Was it Leon calling you back?”  
He shook his head.

“Business,” he simply answered.

No, it wasn’t that fucker but it reminded Donnie that he couldn’t fill that new contract with two brothers missing. And that contract was everything he needed, they needed, his mind corrected him.

“Are you the kind of guy stopping midway of sex or from a very deep, emotional conversation to answer a business call?” She stared at him, dumbfounded. “Forget what I had asked. Of course, you are, you jerk.”

Don didn’t reply to April they weren’t having sex anyway and so, it was irrelevant and sent a last message-warning- to Leonardo.

_**“I know Mikey is fine, no thanks to you, but I have very great news. If you are here in forty-five minutes from now, we will have that vacation you bugged me for. I’ll take you to Paris and buy you everything you want.”** _

Having tried one last time to reason with his brother, Don put a count timer on his phone and set it for sixty minutes. He knew Leo enough to know the fucker could come just five minutes late to piss him off. He was ready to forgive him if he was back with Mikey in sixty minutes.

If he didn’t, they would both regret it, he vowed. 


	15. Interlude :Raph's portrait by BoxFish




	16. Interlude Mikey 2: Baby's on fire!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art by B0xFish
> 
> No beta, no speaking English.
> 
> Here the video of the song I used the title for my chapter. Get Mikey's vibe :  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcXNPI-IPPM

* * *

When Mikey woke up, his head was on Leo’s lap and his body was lying on a brown and beige old carpet straight from the 70’s show. His older brother was crying and it took a moment for Mikey to realize why. Leo must have thought that was it: Mikey overdosed. He didn’t watch how much drug Mondo used for his booty bump. The guy was so horny for him, he overdid it. Then, he should know better than snort stuff he didn’t know about. 

“I just passed out…” he mumbled. His heart raced as crazy and he felt a pain in his chest, but he guessed it was much more because of Leo’s devastated face than because of an overdose. 

“Passed out for 15 minutes? Your whole body was shaking in a seizure.” Leonardo glared at him, but Mikey saw in his eyes more fear and concern than real anger. He wiped Mikey’s face and this is then he noticed he had a nose bleed. “Anyway, I don’t care what you say, we are going to the hospital.”

When Leo’s mommy radar was switched on, there was nothing to do.

“I’m sorry, dude, I called your Mom...I mean your bro,” Mondo corrected. “You scared the shit out of me. He just arrived two minutes ago.”

What time was it? He blinked, staring at the wall clock. Damn, they were still Monday morning. The memory came back to him. After a gruesome contract, he had hit the bed a few hours before that joke that was the brunch-slash-meeting-arbitrary decision. He had run away in his room and then, he still doesn’t know how Leo had managed to get his ass banged by Donnie after years of craving for it. 

“Were you not having a great time?” Mikey asked, in a whisper, remembering in which activity Don and Leo were engrossed in before he left. He didn’t need to look around to know Donatello wasn’t there. There’s no way a successful and posh businessman like Donnie steps into such a shabby apartment. Anyway, it was kind of a relief, who knows how badly Don would have flipped his shit to Mondo, Mikey’s more sincere friend, to have endangered one of his employee’s life, cockblocked him, and well, made Leo cry.

“We aren’t discussing that here,” Leo said. “And I’m not replying to any questions before you and I have a talk. I postponed that discussion long enough.”

For a brief moment, Mikey had a regret; he should have died. He knew already what Leo would tell him. How much he was worried about Mikey’s self-destructive streak and how much he cared. Yes, if there was something Mikey was sure it was Leo cared, but it was all the issues. Mikey longed to be loved, loved with a burning passion, blazing like a fire. Leonardo’s love was soft and sweet, and warm as a hot chocolate when Mikey needed a Molotov cocktail love level.

Anyway, why was he complaining? It was already too good for him. Even someone as loving and easy-going as Raph wasn’t eager to love him “that much.”

Thinking of Raph reminded Mikey why he was so upset. Raph had turned him down. Of course, Mikey knew Raph was still loving him as a brother, but he remembered very well Raph’s face. Raphael was usually gazing at him with fondness, patting Mikey as he was a kitten. It was a sight that warmed Mikey’s heart.

But Raph had looked at him like he was grossed out, and after a whole life of being dejected, it had been the one too many times.

Mikey had no idea who gave him birth or created him. Mutant’s birth could come from a womb or from a lab. But he had been ditched very quickly by whoever made him. So quickly, Mikey thought it could be written down in the Guinness Book. Leo had told him many times the story about how it had been love at first sight between them. Mikey was a few days old, but mutant babies are more developed than human ones and so he could see. Out of instinct, he had been drawn more to Leo’s face. Their species were closer than human’s and also, Leo must have looked at him with kinder eyes than anyone at the orphanage.

Leo had loved him exclusively for his first year and it had made up for Mikey’s birth abandonment. Leo had a nurturing nature and loved to care for him. He was so sweet and kind and gracious, Mikey wondered often who the fuck could have been that heartless to have abandoned Baby Leo.

But then, they got adopted and even if it improved their situation, Leo started to share his care between Raph and him, since Don was autonomous and “didn’t need a mommy.” Mikey didn’t mind sharing Leo with Raph. As an orphan, he was used to having no true belonging and so, sharing was natural to him. Well, it was natural to the three of them. To be an orphan had grown differently to Donnie. Donatello was fiercely defending what was his, and at the moment he got a room, no one ever was allowed to step in, not even Leo and Raph, the brothers Don loved much more than Mikey. 

Splinter also loved Mikey the less among his “sons.”Raph was the favorite of his heart because the oldest was just endearing. Splinter looked at him with goo-goo eyes as one usually gave to the family’s baby. Mikey was the family’s baby, but people only remember it when they have to consider how useless he was. He was too young to be given responsibility and a hindrance overall, according to Don’s prying eyes on him. Mikey didn’t mind that Raph was the favorite because poor Raph deserved it to try so hard to please and hate Raph for that would be like hating a puppy; nonsense.

Don was Splinter’s favorite by obligation. Without Donnie’s intelligence and diligence, he knew he would have ended in the streets. Even if it had been probably too bad for the lab that had created him, since Donatello was so smart and could have turned them filthy rich, Mikey could understand he got abandoned. It was obvious that caring for Don was a waste; he wouldn’t ever give the love back. How many times he told Leo, already? 

Splinter had liked Leo because Leo was useful, doing damn everything Don considered too low for him to do in their household. Also, maybe Splinter had felt that if Leo was unsatisfied with him and reported to Donatello, Donnie would be utterly mad. It was the only thing Don truly had from a big brother: he wouldn’t allow someone to mess with his siblings, his only passion with his work, even their own father.

Splinter had liked Mikey altogether, as Leo and Mikey were a whole, but with caution, something he didn’t have for Raph. Maybe being older than Mikey and with more life experience, he had guessed it before all of them did: Leonardo was Don’s private slavey, his propriety, that he accepted to lend to Splinter reluctantly. If he had come back and his precious belonging had been damaged in any way, it would have paid back badly.

In their family, Mikey just happened to be there, never letting go of Leo’s hands because if he did, he would have been totally forgotten.

But still, Splinter had genuinely smiled at Mikey a few times a week, for years, something Don never did. So, Mikey still had a good memory of the man. The dude wasn’t bad, just totally overshadowed by Donatello’s authority since day one. 

How Donatello looked down at him his whole life had been something hurting Mikey more than his own parents’ abandonment. Mikey trusted and loved Leo so much; he had seen how Leo looked up at Donnie and wanted to please him. Leonardo encouraged Mikey at first doing the same and being docile as he was. Somewhat, despite Donatello’s insanely high standard, Leo had managed it, but for Mikey, as hard he tried to be cute or helpful, nothing reached Don. Even more, it was like the more he tried, the more Don dismissed him, only calling Mikey family for Leonardo’s sake. 

It was years before the assault and Mikey already hated himself and told himself he wasn’t deserving of Leonardo’s cares. For a while, because he was so young and innocent, he even thought Donnie should be the one Leo put energy on, because Don was like a God to them, making sun and rain on their family by snapping his fingers. Even when he wasn’t there, busy in that aristocratic private school of his, Donatello’s obnoxious shadow seemed to still linger everywhere in their house. He could perceive it, when Leo stressed out about a glass or a plate Mikey broke accidentally, or pant he made a hole in it, or a bad grade Mikey got, wondering how he could hide it from Donatello, so Mikey wouldn't be punished. 

Raph and he had shared Leo’s cares and love evenly, but Don was with Leo as he was everything else; he was greedy, wanting to keep him all for himself, even when he wasn’t there. Mikey would have minded less if at least Leo was happy, but his brother wasn’t. 

Donatello wanted Leo for him when he didn’t even understand the first thing about Leo. Even if Mikey knew Don wasn’t seeing Raph the same way he did, he was still playing gatekeeper with the oldest as well, even being more overly-protective with him.

Now that he was less upset because Leo was crying and clinging at him, he could tell Raph reacted that way, not because he disliked Mikey, but because Donnie must have brainwashed him about sex. 

Because Donnie did the exact same thing with him. How could he have forgotten?

It was a few weeks after Leo and he got attacked. Don had stepped into Mikey’s room with a scowl on his face, but he had managed to get over his disgust for the messy room and even went that far as sitting on Mikey’s bed.

“I have a gift for you,” he had explained. “But you have to listen carefully.” 

Mikey had been pleasantly surprised. The gifts were usually for Leonardo. But beforehand, he had gotten the worst attempt of the bird and the bee talk, but Mikey had been quite impressed by Donnie making that effort for him. So, he didn’t tell him he knew already and was even more knowledgeable since Leo got raped in front of him. He had stayed quietly attentive. But what Don pulled out from his jacket pocket at the end of his speech about how sex was evil and Mikey should not do it, had blown Mikey’s mind.

He had expected a condom box, but Donnie had given him what he first thought was a cheap nylon necklace.

“It’s a garrote wire, and the decorative loops had been made to be pulled at each end and used as handles to facilitate the strangling,” Don had explained to him in a monotone voice. “If something happens again, to Leo or you, here how it works. Take your garotte, and throw it across their throat with a flick of the wrist.” Don had made the demonstration with a Teddy bear. “Then pull back tight while you put your knee into their back. They would be strangled and if you use more force, they could even be decapitated. Once it’s done, you call me and I will clean the place for you.” 

How wrong and sick it was to think it had been maybe the time Don had shown the best he cared for him. Donatello didn’t have the time to teach him to ice skate, but strangling people was another story, apparently. It was worth his time and so, Mikey had been diligently listening.

Mikey wondered if Donatello had felt a beam of paternal pride to see how efficient he was with a garrote now? Mikey had made good use of Donnie’s teaching, hoping to not be a complete failure everyone bore with because Leonardo was a moron loving him. 

It was very likely Don didn’t even remember he gave that garrote wire, Mikey supposed as Leo shoved him inside of his car.

Don would never like him, because, in that tiny bit of a heart he had, Donnie had only a place for Raph, Leo, and money.

“What had happened,” Leo demanded to know. 

Mikey blinked, still dizzy and crushing from the high. Whatever Raph’s disgust was a traumatic response from Don’s speech or not, Mikey knew it changed nothing: Raph was drilled to obey any command from his soul master and Don was very likely to disapprove of their relationship.

“Tell me,” Leo growled. 

If Raphael’s was Donnie’s puppet, Leo was his. So far, Michelangelo had never been that selfish than asking for Leo’s exclusive love. Because it was obvious that even if he was denying it, Leo had the hots for Donnie, like a lot. How his charming brother could lust for someone as stern and cold as Donatello, Mikey would never understand. Yes, Donnie could be another story in a bed, he was still an everyday jerk. 

But Leo’s love was the only warm and colored thing in Mikey’s cold and grim daily life and he could bet that even if Leonardo wasn’t feeling as strongly for him, he was the warmest thing into Leo’s life as well. 

“Raph rejected me,” Mikey said quietly and Leo gasped. “Why you and Don were busy.” Mikey made air quotes and Leo looked away, faking to focus on the road. Why was Leo speeding? Did he really mean to bring him to the hospital? “I made a move on him… I thought it was great timing. Donnie couldn’t have said shit to him when he was busy plowing into you like no tomorrow.” Suddenly, Mikey stopped talking, sniffing the air. He detected hints of bergamot, oakmoss, musk, vanilla, and ambergris.“I smell that asshole’s expensive cologne.” Mikey stared at Leo, bewildered. “It’s not only coming from you but from the car as well.” Mikey has a very acute sense of smell. It was one of his assets, their Boss had stated. “That impossible jerk went as far as getting over his jealousy and sitting in your car?” He giggled nervously. “Man, I wish I would have seen his pinched face.”

He could see Leo clenching his steering wheel. They fought, Mikey thought, over him probably and he decided he wasn’t feeling bad about it. Don has everything already, if he wanted Leo he had to work his ass for. Leonardo was fair game. Don couldn’t care for him as Leo wanted and Don had so much scared the shit out of Raph about sex, probably, the poor guy was very likely to die a virgin boy. Leo and he should stick together. They had both wasted their time, lusting for their other sibling. When he was with Leo, the temptation to hang himself to his room ceiling or throw himself on the subway rails was less strong. 

Leo made a sharp turn to the hospital parking lot.

“I’m fine, just a little jittery, that’s all.”

“You’re not.” 

Leo parked his car brutally and turned toward him, eyes flashing.

“This is not a game, Mikey. I know you are not happy. None of us is. I turned a blind eye so far on your dangerous and self-destructive habits but I’m done. I know I’m not flawless, but I never passed out from too much alcohol.” Leonardo took a deep breath. “Donnie is a prick, I give that to you, but maybe he is right about you needing therapy.”

Mikey turned livid. Leonardo was siding with that motherfucker again?

“He fucked you and then, he turned cold three seconds flat after having emptied his balls, again, right?” He uttered a dark chuckle. “I thought you would have got it by now, you could play the sub bitch with him as you want, he won’t ever love you! He prefers his customers,” Mikey roared.

The slap stung and took Mikey out off guard. Leo never spanked or slapped him. The most violent thing he ever did was to lecture him and sent him to his room. Mikey didn’t even protest; Leo’s limit had been pushed, he had been really afraid Mikey would die.

“I’m sorry,” Mikey apologized. Being mean wasn’t him but every day was just worsening the heartache he endured for years. “I should not have said that.”

Leo ran a hand in his face.

“I’m the one who is sorry. I’m just…” He searched his words. “Please do it for me.” He motioned to the hospital. “Let them have a check on you, first. Then, we will talk. But before everything, let me tell you...”He sighed. “ I promised to Donnie I would stop teasing and chasing him. I’m serious, Mikey. It’s over.”

Mikey released a shaky breath. Leo had a hard time already and if there was something Mikey knew was that he didn’t want to be a burden. He was sure not sitting his ass into any counseling, but Leo deserved proof of good wills. If Leo was ready to drop Donnie, that’s mean they could be a thing. It wouldn’t be the blazing passion Mikey longed for, but Leo’s arms were warm and his kisses tasted chocolate mint. They were that sweet. 

“Okay…”

****

One hour later, they were already out. Since Mikey wasn’t dying, they didn’t want to deal with mutants more than that. Mutants were a subspecies already for many people, so when they were troublesome ones, it was even worse. The doctor had mumbled something about not knowing any detox clinics for mutants and well, they get kicked out. 

Leonardo was fuming.

“You know I’m not Donnie’s number one fan, but he is right about humans,” Mikey said, to comfort his brother. “Those are scumbags. I’m looking forward that hospital staff to be our next targets.”

“I need a drink,” Leo mumbled. “Holding back to gut those bastards in a lab coat had drained me.”

It wasn’t only that. Leo got a call, Mikey saw it. His brother had glanced at it and then, turned off his phone, but Mikey didn’t need any degree to know who had been the caller. Donatello wasn’t a boss that would allow his employee to slack on working hours. Don must be mad like mad big time, but Leo didn’t seem overly worried about it. It must be said that despite all his bark, Don never bites that much, not Leonardo, in any case.

“No, what we need is shopping.”Mikey’s eyes shone maliciously. “I still have the money, you know. To give it back to Don would be foolish. We are likely to be grounded anyway.” He and Leo didn’t need to talk to know they would have to go back home eventually. It wasn’t only about Donnie’s being Mikey’s legal tutor and that he would likely put the cops after their ass soon enough. Mutants had no real place they were accepted in the long run. “I say let's have some vacation, a few days off, wandering in the city and spending the money as we wish.” Suddenly, Mikey got a nice idea. “You never got to choose your own clothes! Let dress you up and give you a new wardrobe, one reflecting your real tastes.” 

“Mikey…”

“I don’t want to return to jail, yet!”Mikey gazed intensely at his brother. “You know how Donnie is. He will punish both of us. Are you that eager to be lectured and see me being spanked and sent to my room, while Raph all distressed is sobbing his soul out?” Speaking of Raph was hard. Mikey felt a stab in his chest every fucking time. He was upset and well, slightly mad at Raph to be so easily manipulated by Don, but Mikey knew Raph was a victim as well. “What will you get from coming home sooner? Have you heard his new rules? Ted Bundy had it easier!”

Leo sighed again and ignited the car.

“For your information, I told him I won’t be back before a few days…”

They must have fought worse than Mikey thought, but it was perfect. If Leo was upset, Mikey could cheer him up. Then, Leo would be more likely to understand and agree to Mikey’s new idea.

“But we need a place to have a talk, you and me...Don’t believe you are off the hook, yet!” Leo continued. 

“I have an idea where we can talk...But I won’t tell you before you promised to do shopping with me!” Mikey said in a taunting manner. “Come on, Leo. Let me spoil you, with things that you really want and not fancy perfume in some six-figures crystal bottle.”

“I need nothing,” Leo protested. “You more than anyone should know that.” 

“Please,” Mikey insisted. How Leo refused him something as normal as shopping riled him up. “ I really wanted to die!” he snapped, even if it wasn’t totally the truth. He didn’t think really. He just feels a need to numb his pain that all, the way he knew the best, high and with a cock up his ass. “I get it. You want a talk. I will give it to you, but can you please fucking allow me to buy you something?”

Leonardo stared at him, shocked and Mikey understood he needed to tone down a bit. 

“You were worried. I should not have run away like that. I need to make up for you. And I know we both need a day off before we got chipped with a tracker,” he tried to joke.

“Don’t exaggerate, Don isn’t that crazy. He could be a jerk, he isn’t a lunatic.”

Something was off in Leo’s voice like he wasn’t believing in his own words and in Mikey’s mind passed the memory of Don sitting on his bed to explain to him how to garrote. Mikey didn’t know a lot about mental illness since he didn’t even complete middle school, but what was sure was Donatello wasn’t sane. Don was functional, educated, and socially trained; it was enough for people to be fooled from the outside. Donatello was the picture of the successful mutant. But in the privacy of their home, they knew how rotten he was. 

Uneasiness filled the car and silence stretched until Leo asked which shop Mikey wanted to go to.

****

They had a great afternoon and evening, living in the moment as they were butterflies doomed to die before the next morning. It had been an exciting experience, to be free, and alone and buy what they truly liked. Don would so hate any piece of clothing they had bought. They didn’t get overboard, only buying what they truly needed for three days-and nights-off. They had been so deprived of freedom, it was enough of a thrill.

Leo had made it clear: he said they had to come back Thursday before noon to be there to work at the Ramen shop. They parked the car in Chinatown and walked their way to Central Park. They both knew Don would call the cops on them if they weren’t home the next morning. Mikey tried to picture Donnie’s livid face because Leo’s phone was turned off. He wasn’t sure if it was funny or scary. But it was a tacit agreement between them to not speak about it.

In every shop, the clerk looked at them like the bitch in the Pretty Woman movie. It was heavy to bore those looks on them, but it wasn’t enough to rain on their parade.

They ate at an Italian family restaurant not minding mutant customers. Now they were at the Plaza hotel. Mikey chose that place, because he felt like the little boy in the Home Alone movie, free with a platinum credit card-even better, Mikey had cash and so Don couldn’t report the card. The staff wasn’t pleased to have mutants, but Mikey had dropped a pretty penny making them more tolerant. Mikey had rented the Fitzgerald Suite for three nights, even if he wasn’t sure they would stay that long. He had chosen that one without any more reason than once he found a receipt in Donnie’s pocket. How Donatello could rent a suit to fuck a whore forty-five minutes was beyond him. He didn’t tell Leo to not distraught him and he watched his brother as Leo removed the dark blue bomber he had chosen by himself, with zipper and pocket to hide weapons and a big dragon on the back. Leonardo could be on vacation, he had now a genuine assassin instinct. 

Leonardo was slowly undressing and with a racing heart, Mikey wondered if they would have sex. It’s been a while and Leo couldn’t be the lover he craved to have, he was a skilled partner, with stamina, technique, and a nice, satisfying cock. Mikey had promised that talk earlier, but the fact was he didn’t want it. The whole day, he had tried to pull himself together. He didn’t want to collapse. Maybe if he sexed Leo up or asked the white glove butler a fine wine bottle, Leo wouldn’t insist.

“It’s midnight, already,” Leo murmured, his flawless body standing out in the city night light from the window. It was weird, now that he thought about it, how Donnie could have groomed Leonardo into that seductive creature, to bait the targets, when he was probably sick with jealousy, every single time.

But he was done trying to understand that bastard. He did try many times to be understanding when Donatello never bothered. But Mikey got a little annoyed by Leo’s comment. He knew what Leo was thinking. At home, Don was biting his nails. It wasn’t that their brother was truly worried. Mikey and Leo could check after themselves. Don was probably more flipping his shit to not be in full control of them at the moment. He hoped poor Raph wouldn’t pay for that, but he doubted so. Raph never got punished, barely scolded. He refused to think of Raph, neither of how the affront they did to Don would payback.

Of course, Mikey knew Don wouldn’t kill them. They were too valuable, well, Leo was. He would ground Leo and then, buy him the next day a black marble fountain to put in the middle of his room to be forgiven. Besides, Don could be one hair away to be labeled a psychotic, he wasn’t violent. It had been a shock when Mikey had seen the deep bite mark Leo had when his brother changed in the fitting room. His cock twitched when he saw it, recognizing it as a seal of property. He should have been jealous or mad at Donnie to claim Leo when he wasn’t even able to love someone other than Benjamin Franklin on the one-hundred-dollar bill. But it wasn’t the case. It was what Mikey longed for himself, that someone was so into him, he would mark him in such a drastic, probably painful way. 

He stared at the wound, almost drooling. Don could deny it and not knowing what to do with his urges; too led by his cortex, the fact was his animal instinct had spoken louder than his reason. Mikey almost regretted having missed the scene. It must have been hot. He almost reached for his cock, before realizing what he was doing. He wouldn’t jerk off over something Donatello did. All of Mikey’s current misery was because of that son of a bitch, after all. 

By his preaching, Don had ruined any relationship other than brotherly with Raph and Mikey had been so traumatized by the rape and the many disappointment he got in his life, he knew he couldn’t trust someone out of his family. Don couldn’t have Raph and Leo; he had to leave one of them to him. The choice was obvious, anyway, Don was much more a jerk to Leo, despite how much he spoiled him. Besides, Leo said it was over.

“Mikey, we need to talk,” Leo said, looming over him. He sounded so serious and it wasn’t the mood Mikey wanted to be in. His whole damn life had been too serious already. Mikey pulled down on the tail of Leo’s blue bandana, crushing their lips together.

“Mikey…”

“Love me,” he choked out. Anyway, it was a good summary of the talk Leo wanted to have. Mikey craved to be loved and that’s all. “Talk is cheap.”

Leo pulled a face.

“Mikey, I did all your whims the whole day. I did it, because you promised me we will talk.”

How much he hated it when Leonardo acted like an authority figure, but he knew there was no way out. Maybe, maybe having an open talk would be good.

“I… need a drink, first.” Mikey wasn’t a heavy drinker, but he needed something to put himself at ease and alcohol was something Leonardo could allow, even if Mikey wasn’t 19 years old, yet. Then, Leo was much more hornier when he got a drink or two.

Leo sighed, but took the phone to call the room service and Mikey supposed Leo needed a drink as well. He still has no idea of what had happened between his two brothers. 

“I need a shower,” Leo said after having hung up with the room service. “Don’t drink all of it.”

At the moment the bathroom door shut behind him, Mikey gingerly stretched to Leo’s phone. It had been turned off most of the day and Mikey suspected Donnie must have blown his brother’s phone. 

At the moment, he turned it on, it started vibrating and Mikey dropped it in his startle. Nervously, he turned his head to see if Leo heard, but the water was running in the shower. It was unlikely Leonardo heard it.

Curious, he looked at the message Leonardo got and even if Mikey knew how madly possessive Don was, his eyes widened at the astronomic numbers of text messages. He skimmed them quickly; it was reflecting Donnie’s pattern: starting with order, harsher and harsher, recall of their duty as employees, then bribes, blackmails, emotional manipulation attempts and plain threats. Mikey pulled out his own phone. He didn’t bother to turn it off. He got no other call than Leo’s shortly after he left. In that whole debacle of a day, Donatello didn’t even remember Mikey was missing, too. Don was just running after his precious doll. 

Leo’s voice mailbox was full too, but Mikey felt his chest so painfully hollow, he couldn’t take it anymore. Thankfully, the butler had great timing and he knocked politely at the door at the same moment.

When Leo came back from his shower, he looked at him with painfully concerned eyes. Was it because Mikey already drank half of the bottle or was it because he cried, he didn’t know.

“Alright Leo, I will talk with you…” At least, if Leo found Mikey’s dead body, he would get why and don’t blame himself. “Just pour yourself some wine.”

  
***

It lasted around three hours and two bottles and, at the end of it, Mikey wasn’t even horny anymore. He only wanted to be cuddled and put to sleep. Leo had seemed very upset, like he didn’t have a single clue it was that bad.

“I will...talk with Donatello,” Leonardo promised. “I think...I can force him to rent a cabin for the four of us in the woods, with no Wi-Fi. For a full week or even two…I can threaten him I won’t work anymore until he does. We need some bonding time,” he declared. “I can be naive, but sometimes...”

Mikey chuckled bitterly.

“Without his sweet, sweet phone? I don’t think so. He can lust for your ass, the figures in his bank account are more alluring than you. But I know what we can blackmail him with that will make us both happy without harming our family business.” Mikey sucked in a deep breath. He was tired and wanted so badly to sleep, but Leo was there, feeling so sorry for him and it was the time to make a move. “We will tell him we want to be together.” Leo tensed next to him. “He can chastise us when he had sex with you and I have witnessed it. Don wouldn’t ever allow us a real lover because he trusts no one.” The image of the garrote wire flashed in his mind again. “We will tell him that if he gives us his blessing we won’t search for other partners and so, our family honor is safe. No one would spy on us in your room. We will then be both happy and accept to continue our deadly puppets' fate. He had no reason to refuse. We aren’t even blood brothers. He has no right to forbid our love.”

Leo was silent and Mikey’s felt a cold pit in his stomach. If Leo refused him, it was game over. He would run to the window and jump from the 18th floor. 

“It is really what you want?” Leonardo asked in a soft voice. “I mean...I don’t think I’m the lover you need. I’m more a maternal figure to you.”

Mikey knew what Leo meant. Leo can top and well, was pretty good at it, but since he had sex with Donnie, he craved something else, as Mikey craved. But Mikey preferred Leo vanilla love-making to felt dirty and freezing with strangers or worse, being absolutely alone. Mikey knew Leo felt the same.

“What I need is some loving and well, if at some moment, I feel for something more wild, I guess you wouldn’t mind if I go to see some friends.” Mikey was aware he wasn’t romantic in his way to ask Leo out, but nerves were taking the best of him and he only wanted Leo to agree to find the will to still be alive. “I won’t be jealous too, if that means we can sleep together and cuddle and kiss without any restraint. I need that, Leo. I need that fuel. I need to not feel empty and lonely. I need to look forward to something more meaningful than the pocket money Donatello gave me. You need that as well and you know I won’t ever treat you like shit as Don did.”

“Okay. I will tell him that.”

How easily Leo had agreed had surprised Mikey, but he guessed that the about twenty times he had exposed how much he wanted to die must have made an impression on Leonardo. Even if it was the truth, Mikey still felt like a scumbag to emotionally manipulate Leo that way, knowing very well his whole life Leo had a very hard time refusing him something. He also felt bad, because he knew Leo loved him but had not an ounce of sexual desire for him. Leo could spend his time in people's beds, it was only him doing his job or aggravating the one he truly wanted. 

Mikey guessed Don had probably pissed off Leonardo to a point of no return. Because if there was something he knew, it was that Donnie was too disgusted by him to even touch Leo with a barge pole if Leo was Mikey’s lover. To accept for Leo was to let’s go from Donnie. 

It was the ultimate choice; Leon chose him over Donnie and Mikey was so blissful, he got hard in five minutes. 

That time, Leo didn’t refuse the kiss.  
***

They slept until 1:00 pm and ate a gigantesque breakfast in their room. They had sex too, plenty of sex. Mikey tried the best he could to show he had fun, dismissing the fact he felt he was a homewrecker, fucking with someone else boyfriend. The damn bite mark was there, nagging at him, turning purplish as a reminder of Leo’s real owner. It was perhaps getting infected but Mikey didn’t dare to mention it and spoil the mood. Naming Donatello was like naming Voldemort. Thankfully, Leo was aiming dead center at that spot that was blowing his mind every time, like it was a sneak peek of death. It was another kind of high, one Leo didn’t mind feeling with him; an amazing way to run away from the harsh reality. 

They were missing for over 24 hours and Don's patience was probably running tight. 

They lived the whole day in denial, binge eating sweets and watching television like two kids having skipped school by faking to be sick. They slept a lot too, between the rounds, until they heard a police car alarm around 7:00 pm just before they had dinner.

It was normal noise in NYC, but instinct made Leo look out the window.

“That’s it,” he said darkly. “He called the cops on our asses.” Indeed, Leo had left a little over thirty hours ago. Don had held it more than Mikey would have believed. Donatello wanted his living murdering doll now, not because he loved Leo, just because he had decided Leo was his. 

“I bet we are on the Most wanted website by now,” Leo continued, his voice clipped. “Even worse, he can have got the mob to help him and put a bounty on our heads. We need to go back home.”

Mikey didn’t even ask who was “he” and he knew Donnie enough to know Leo wasn’t overreacting. The vacation was about to take an abrupt end, but Mikey wasn’t able to let go of his freedom yet.  
  
“We agreed for three days, Leo.” His brother stared at him like Mikey had gone mad. “I know a friend that wouldn’t report us.” Mikey grinned. “Don is already furious, why stop on such a great start?”

They put their clothes back in the bags and ran down the Emergency staircases. Mikey giggled the whole way. He felt alive now, and like in a movie, running away with his lover. They jumped into a cab probably at the moment the police were on the floor. 

Mikey gave the driver an address and it’s only when the taxi was three blocks away from the hotel that Leo spoke.

“Who’s that friend? I hope he is someone reliable.”Mondo didn’t seem to have made a good impression on Leo and well, Mikey could call him off for that.

“He totally is. He is a mutant and also, he isn’t after me for my money. He is a private high school teacher and he has a nice income.” Mikey grinned. “Guess in which school he works? The fancy one Donnie was enrolled.”

Leo frowned.

“But that means he is older than you...more than twice your age.”

“He is also twice my size, well more than that. But he is reliable and no one would search for us there.” Leatherhead’s apartment was the safest for them to continue their vacation. 

“We have to come home by yourself for him to not win, you know. Please, Leo. Just a night there. We agreed for 72 hours, let me have 48, at least.”

Leonardo seemed reluctant, but at that point, they were too far gone. After a fifteen minutes ride, the taxi dropped it at the address that was one of a Starbuck and Mikey walked through the park across the street after both put on a cap hat and sunglasses

“I didn’t get the real address to be sure no one would snitch on us. That we did shopping help since Donnie has no idea what we are wearing. Just do like me, walk fast and look at the ground.”

Mikey’s specialty was to go unnoticed. Maybe he was good at it because for years he had felt transparent in his own house. It was a sweet thrill to avenge himself by using his skill against Don for once. 

“How did you meet him?” Leo wanted to know and it was a story Leo wouldn’t like, but his brother deserved the truth or at least, something close. 

“I met him at that rave place I brought you once. He brought me to his place and gave me drugs and $100 bucks for me to jerk off in front of him dressed as a schoolgirl.”

As expected, Leo pulled on his wrist to prevent him from walking. 

“What?” Leonardo was livid. Of course, Leo was judging him to make a show for $100. Leonardo didn’t have to spread his legs to get covered in lavish gifts by Donatello. If Leo wanted 100 banknotes to wipe his ass, Don would grant his wish.

“We aren’t going to that deviant place!” the red-eared slider exclaimed, before changing his mind. “No, let's go there to slice that molester's tiny dick!” he fiercely proposed his dark eyes gleaming with anger.

Mikey laughed breathlessly and broke the hold. He would have loved Leo to be jealous, but he knew his big brother was more indignant than anything. Even Don, who wasn’t loving him at all, would have killed the guy who used his brother as jerk off material. The difference was that Leo would slice the guy himself when Don wouldn’t risk staining his Armani suit for Mikey’s honor. He would just ask Raph to bash the guy's skull.

No, he wouldn't think of Raph, now.

“I agreed is a bit of a pervert, but he had the biggest cock ever and this is why you should pity him.” He smiled at Leo, to appease his worry. “He packs so much, he can’t find any partner. He never touched me, neither anyone I’m aware of. Wait, does rimming count as touching?” Mikey wondered aloud. “I bet you never got rimmed by a mutant alligator! Bro, I swear, you have to try this out!”

Leonardo folded his arms. 

“Yes, rimming counts as touching and no, I won’t try this out, because I’m not going,” he declared. “I have reservations about you getting at this pedophilic mutant’s place who gives you drugs when you just brushed an overdose in my face.” Leo seemed dead serious. Mikey hated that, he preferred Leo when he was carefree and ready to partying or driving Donnie crazy. “I prefer to return home, get over Don’s lecture and punishment, already. Don could be a jerk, we both agreed on that, at least he isn’t as disgusting as that friend of yours.”

And every go, Leo was calling him disgusting with a grimace, reminding Mikey Raph’s grossed out face when he had called him bad. 

“We are boyfriends for less than 24 hours and you ditch me already?” Leo opened his mouth, probably to correct that they weren’t boyfriends, really, just brothers with benefit and the only thing Leo agreed was that they could do affection displays at home and he would make Don suck it up. Mikey didn’t want to hear that because he wanted to believe he has a boyfriend. He wanted one since he was 11 years old. “Damn even my parents lasted longer!” he shouted.

Mikey started running. He would go to Leatherhead’s place and have some fun. He didn’t need Leo, he had been stupid to believe everything was okay now that they agree on that new aspect of their relationship. 

“Wait, Mikey!"

Mikey refused to slow down or stop but it was no use. Leo’s legs were so long, they reached his chin. Leo has in his room all the medals he won at school for being the best runner. Mikey didn’t make it more than twelve feet away that Leo had pounced on his shell.

“I don’t want to go home, yet.” Mikey was crying, his distress genuine. Why, why Leo could indulge him a little more and gave him another breath of freedom. “Please, just come with me and meet my friend as a normal bro would do.”

“Okay, we will go, since it’s so important to you,” Leo yielded again. “But we won’t sleep there. It’s only a pit stop. It’s 7:30. We grab dinner and eat there. You can have a nice chat with your friend,” he snarled, as the word friend burned his mouth. In four hours, we are off.”

Mikey nodded. Leo could perhaps change his mind. Leatherhead has some of Donatello’s traits. He was very smart and also, he had distinguished tastes. He was a good guy, he only had a fetish for student cosplay. If anything, it was his proper friend.

But Leo had agreed and Mikey ran the bell at the door. Leatherhead lived at the top floor of an upper-middle-class building of four stories in a quiet neighborhood. 

“Did you tell him your brother was maybe one of his students?” Leo asked. “I think Don stayed in touch with one of his homeroom teachers for a while. I hope isn’t him.”

A voice came from the speaker and Mikey said his name. The door was unlocked.

“I doubt so, even if he had some similarities with Don, he is a living being, with flaws and kinks. He is too lively for Donatello.”

They climbed the staircases and Leo was so stiff, Mikey felt sorry for him. He had asked a lot from Leo in the last two days. 

“He isn’t that bad. He is just a lonely dude, like us. And even if he is getting off on me in a school outfit, he has always been there for me, listening. Please, for me, give him a chance.”

Leo nodded and Mikey breathed better.

“If he puts you truly uncomfy, we will leave, I promise.”

Leatherhead opened the door, with his eyeglasses, his casual dress shirt and trousers and Mikey ogled Leo to see if his brother was relieved. But Leo’s face was closed.

“Michelangelo, what a surprise.” He scanned Leo from the head to the toes and his brother bore the examination without a flinch. “You bring me a fellow turtle.” The Professor’s eyes gleamed.

“This is my bro, Leo. We are kinda in trouble,” Mikey announced, straight forward. “But we won’t bother you too long.”

“Of course, my friend. Come in.”

Leatherhead’s apartment was always tidy, but not in the same OCD way Don was. Here and there, something wasn’t quite at its place, nothing much, a book, a mug or a glass. It was always smelling good, like honey and orange. Every time, Mikey told himself he would love to have his own home to make it smell as he wished.

It was a five-room apartment: a living room, a dining room, a kitchen, a bathroom, a bedroom and, hidden from curious visitors, a playroom.   
This was the room Mikey was the more familiar with and this is straight where Leatherhead seemed to bring them. Leo was too sober to see that and Mikey stopped the professor.

“What about a drink before? We didn’t get to eat either. I have money.” Mikey pulled out two $100 bills for Leatherhead to get it wasn’t Mikey wanting money. “Can you let me prepare or order food for my brother and me? Meanwhile, what about a good Merlot? My brother relaxes better with a glass of fine wine,” he said the more casually he can.

“I don’t need anything,” Leo mumbled, glancing nervously around. 

But the Professor was clever and caught the drift. He turned to go back to the living room, invited Leo to sit and handed him a glass of wine like a gentleman

“It wasn't necessary,” Leo grumbled while taking a sip. 

Since he got invited to help himself. Mikey opened the fridge. As a single mutant, the Professor had very little, but there was enough to a shrimp Pad thai. 

Thirty minutes later, the meal was served and Leo was at his third glass. He was still tense, but Mikey hoped he would eventually drop his guards and chill. He eventually got a glass himself and after having drunk it, he got suspicious.

“Did you spiced my brother’s drink?” he asked, when Leo was at the restroom.

“Barely, my friend. Just for him to loosen up a little.”

Mikey wasn’t happy with that answer. He told Leo he could trust that guy. But he couldn’t blame Leatherhead. He probably assumed Leonardo was a slut like himself. But there was no use to cry over spilled milk and the fact was now, Leo wouldn’t probably mind the playroom.

It wasn’t something hardcore like a dungeon. The room was in a pink and black hue, filled with mirrors, erotic photographs or phallic furniture. In the middle of the room, there was a three-person heart-shaped whirlpool, a stage and a dancing pole, a love swing, and then a round bed.

Leo still stopped on his tracks and Mikey pulled gently on his hand. 

“Let's take a bath to relax,” he proposed. “Just you and me.”

He glanced at his friend with intent and that one took two steps back, his hands raised as they undressed. 

“You know me. I’m content to watch.”

How Leatherhead had guessed Leo wasn’t his brother and they were in that kind of relationship surprised him. 

“You are very different. I mean, not of the same species,” the Professor explained, as he had read Mikey’s thoughts. He was watching Leonardo with eyes full of hunger. Mikey was a little hurt by it. He knew his bro was hot stuff, but Leo was already chosen over him in damn everything already. Could he be the fave from someone for fuck sake? “I know a lot about turtles, not only because I’m a biology teacher, but because my favorite student was a turtle as well.”

Leo tensed slightly in the bath and Mikey was furious. Leo was still thinking of that prick. He straddled him and kissed him, until Leo’s mind was on him and breathless. Mikey was shaking with need, Leo as well, while in the background they could hear the fapping sounds of the Professor pumping his slick cock. Mikey glanced at it. Leatherhead was huge, as big as Raph. He was maybe even bigger. So far, Mikey had cautiously stayed at the other side of the fence with Leatherhead. The guy wasn’t pushy and Mikey was content with that, but his eyes gleamed at the idea of the adrenaline shot he could have with that monstrous dick breaching him and trusting into him wrecking him so good, no one could fix him, anymore. 

Leo circled his shell, kissing him deeply and Mikey forgot his idea. They make up a moment and whatever the Professor gave him, it was doing some good to his brother. Leo has an exhibitionist side, Mikey had always been sure of it and now he felt validated. Well, he never imagined his brother could be that eager, but he guessed whatever drugs the Prof sprinkled in the drink was maybe the reason for it. If that is so, Leo must have some more often.

To have sex in a bathtub together was a premiere for them and Mikey found it exciting. Everything was so peachy, as he just impaled himself on Leo, when his damn phone rang. Not Leo’s, but his. And it wasn’t any ringtone, oh no. It was the damn Star Wars Imperial March, meaning Donatello was the caller.

Mikey was so flabbergasted Don was remembering him after two days, it was enough to pull away from Leo's embrace.

“Hey Donnie,” he greeted cheerfully. “What’s up, bro? It’s damn rare you call me!”

“Nothing much.” Don wasn’t even icy, he was cryogenic. “Two of my brothers and associates disappeared after having robbed my car and my money.”

“Was it not Raph’s car? He forgot to tell you but he lent it to me before I left. For the money, in our family's safe, I did with it as you will have done. I rented a fancy suite in a hotel to have sex and then, bough your Leon a new wardrobe.”

A short silence stretched. 

“You had sex with who?” he asked finally, with a flat voice and Mikey felt a tremor. He would hurt Don in one single sentence and it was so exciting.

“With Leo, duh. Get used to it, because now we are together.” 

Leo was breathing hard, gazing at him with attention and Mikey felt a power trip as maybe sometimes Don had.

“What do you mean?”

Mikey was slightly disappointed about how dispassionate Donnie was, but he knew that his brother was the master to hide emotion. 

“I mean we are a couple. We talked about it Leo and I and if you don’t bother us, we will be good employees in exchange.” An idea popped in his mind. “Here is the deal: we are agreeing to everything you decided this morning, except Leo and I could sleep together. The honor of the family business would be safe, since we won’t have sex with other people. Edit the contract with that and we will come back home sixty minutes after it’s done.”

“It will be done tomorrow morning. I will send you a digital copy attached to an email. Is Leon with you,” he asked, after a moment. “He didn’t take any calls.”

“So you went that desperate, you called me? You should have spared you the trouble. Leo is fine. We are having water sex.” Mikey used his hand to make some splashing sounds andLeo rolled his eyes at the childish display. “He just got bitten by such a wild animal, you know? I’m afraid it got infected,” he chirped. “We will look at it at home. After you send me that email.”

Mikey hung up, delighted to have gotten the upper hand.

“Did you hear that, Leo? He said he would send me an email with the new contract attached to it tomorrow morning.”

Leo frowned, all arousal gone.

“This is fishy, it's not Donatello at all to wait for the next morning.”

“Did you say, Donatello? It is the one having called you?” Leatherhead asked with an eagerness very uncharacteristic. 

“He is our brother,” Leo dropped.

The professor walked to Mikey seizing his hands.

“You have to bring him here next time. Your brother Donatello was such an exceptional student. I admit,” he put a hand on his chest. “Since him, I have a fetish about turtles.”

Leo turned pale and Mikey grew annoyed. Why was everyone worshipping that fucker? Leo wasn’t in a horny mood anymore, probably thinking of Don again, but Mikey was done. He wanted Leatherhead and his brother’s eyes on him.

“What about you satisfies your fetish, then?” Mikey made a suggestive smirk. “My brother and I are in an open relationship. What about a little Mikey in a sandwich?”

“Mikey!” Leo scolded in a low voice. 

“I told my brother how much you were good at rimming. If your tongue could get deep enough, you can have a taste of my brother's precum.” Mikey sat in the sex swing. “Then, when I will be wet, you can tap my ass with your huge cock.”

The Professor’s eyes turned white and he got closer.

“I hope you wouldn’t dare tease a poor, lonely mutant,” he said cautiously. “Intercourse opportunities are rare for us, mutants. I explained it to your brother Donatello when he came to me for love advice.”

“Love advice, him?” Mikey almost fell from the swing. Donatello and love couldn’t fit in the same sentence. 

“He had dreams, erotic dreams.” He kneeled in front of Mikey, his tongue already darting out, caressing the thigh and Mikey giggled, being ticklish. “It was featuring someone, always the same someone. His partner was male and a reptile too, he didn’t tell right away, but he gave it away by some details. He was upset, because in his dream he was very aggressive and…” He dipped his tongue in Mikey’s hole and he let out a long moan. “Your brother was very different from the other students, so serious, so composed, so sensible. It was a huge and unexpected turn-on to see his strained face as he told me how much he didn’t want to hurt that person, so precious to him and he wanted those dreams to stop. I was taken aback, because he wasn't the lovestruck type.” 

“Okay, I get it, you were surprised. Now can you resume pleasuring me?” Mikey wasn’t interested a slight bit. He didn’t need any classes, to get Don got teen fantasies on Leo. It was unexpected he got bothered to the point to confess to someone about it, but it wasn’t new. Now that Mikey had come from the initial shock years ago than Don could know what lust was, he guessed his brother was a living being, but he doubted someone else than Leonardo ever made his motor running. 

Leonardo must have made the same math, but he wasn’t looking as jaded as Mikey was. His black eyes were shining as two pearls, his focus all on Leatherhead, because of course, Don was the main topic, again! He was drinking any piece of information, knowing very well, it was about him.

“What did you advise him?” Leo asked quietly, but Mikey knew Leo enough to know the casual tone was faked.

“I taught him how to masturbate,” he explained matter factly as he took Mikey’s hand to encourage him doing it. “Since he was determined to never confess to the person and start avoiding him the best he could, to be sure to never hurt him, he had no choice but to deal with his urges himself. Sex partners are rare for mutants even more reptilian ones. I taught him everything.” The alligator's eyes were on him and Mikey felt titanium hard. This is what he wanted; attention. Maybe it was him being greedy, but Leo wasn’t enough, not when he was thinking of their other brothers. 

“Did you touched him?” Leo asked in that bone-chilling flat voice Donatello sometimes used.

“Not like I’m about to do to your little one.” He dipped his tongue deeper, grazing Mikey’s prostate with it and Mikey wailed, begged, asked to be fucked until he passed out for him to not hear them speak about Donatello over his head as he wasn’t even there. “I wish I had but he was so lost in his unrequited passion, he wouldn’t ever have responded to anything. He was a blushing virgin, lovesick behind his cold demeanor of a five-stars student.”

“So you just watched…”Leo trailed off.

“Shut up Leo. Come here. I will suck you off.” Mikey chuckled nervously. He didn't have a good view of Leo, because even kneeling, Leatherhead was hiding him from Mikey's vision, but he could feel how the atmosphere was tense. “I bet I’m better to be gagged with something when you will fuck me!” he said, looking at the Professor. "With that fat cock of yours!"

Leatherhead splashed some lube on him and Mikey closed his eyes with a shiver, his mind picturing Raph. They were about the same size and it was probably his best opportunity to know how having sex with Raph would felt like. Maybe then, he would be able to act as nothing had happened again. Poor Raph must be at loss.

“You certainly have interesting and seducing siblings…” He pressed the tip of his cock, barely breaching in and Mikey tensed in pain. Shit, he had been too bold. “Next time, bring your big brother, here. There’s not a day I'm not thinking back of him…” He pushed into the ring muscle and Mikey bit his wrist to not scream. Raph, Raph, think of Raph, he thought in panic. It was because he wasn’t horny, he realized. He wasn’t, he was in fact upset, because he could spread his legs and offer himself, and dirty talk, it wasn’t good enough. Donnie, even absent and cold, was much better.

It has always been like that. He had been a fool to think it could change.

Now, he would have his ass wrecked by someone having his brother in mind.

“I...I changed my mind,” Mikey said. 

But the professor was far too gone, getting deeper, mumbling Donnie’s name and next thing he knew, blood sprayed in crimson ribbons everywhere as the Professor turned stiff, then slack, as his throat was nicely cut. With disgust, Mikey pulled away. 

“Fucking perv,” Leo growled, fuming, blood-spattered on his furious face. “Now, help me,” he demanded to Mikey.

Without a word, used to be nothing more than a sidekick, Mikey helped Leo as they put the Professor in the bath.

“Go fetch some bleach in the bathroom. Bring back the glasses and the forks we used.”

Mikey did as he had been told, frantic. He was too much in shock to fully realize what had happened.

When he came back, Leo was cutting out Leatherhead’s tongue.

“We can have no fingerprints, they could find us with your DNA, admitting they decide to investigate a mutant murder. Since he touched body fluid with his tongue and dick, I’m taking both off.” He stared darkly at Mikey, an _I-told-you-so_ face. “We will drop them in the Hudson River, to feed fish.”

Mikey nodded tensely. Murder wasn’t putting him off that much usually, but the 180 degrees from sex to blood had been even dizzier with someone he knew and was a kind of friend to him.

“Did you kill him for me or Donnie?” Mikey bit his lips. He should know better than to ask that. He would end being lied to or disappointed again. Leo could call it over with Don, he was so into him, the story of the alligator had moved him to the point to kill. Leo could say they were lover, it was only a mature audience play pretend.

“I killed him for both of you, and any past, present and future students,” Leo replied calmly as he poured bleach in the bath. “I can’t believe that guy was a teacher.”

“Yeah…” Mikey was still speechless. Maybe it was the drugs, he thought. It had turned Leo more reckless. Damn, he would make sure Leo never had, ever again. 

“We are doing as I said. The river is ten minutes from here. We will throw that guy parts and I will take a swim.”

“It’s chilly outside,” Mikey protested. 

“I need a cold shower.” Leo looked down at himself. Thankfully we were naked.”

They took back their bag, heavier and heavier and after Leo took his dip in the river, they found a cheap motel. It was safer than some flashy one. But now, Mikey wasn’t that afraid to return home, anymore. To be a fugitive was tiring.

  
***

At 10:00 am, they got Donnie’s email and they both studied it.

“It’s weird,”Leo declared. “Don is up for hours, admitting he slept since we were gone.”

They still took a cab, not bothering to get to Leo’car since this one had been towed, according to Donatello’s laconic email.

At home, April was the one opening the door and by the face he was pulling, Leo was displeased. Mikey could relate. April was a weirdo, driving Donnie’s even more a wacko he already was.

“He is waiting for you in the conference room,” April said idly. “Have you a nice trip?

“Yeah, you didn’t get our postcard?” Mikey sneered to hide his anxiety. April seemed relaxed but his eyes were searching Raph. “Where is Raph?” he finally asked.

“Playing with his kitten. While you were on a trip, he didn’t find anything better than giving him a pet,” April said, as Donnie’s idea was the foolish he could have. Mikey was pleasantly surprised. Offering a pet was a cute, normal thing, as a real brother would do.

In the conference room, Raph was sitting, with a tiny furball in his hand. Mikey couldn’t have a good look at it, Raph hutching his shell to try to hide or protect his pet. Mikey held back his tears. Raph wasn’t even greeting them.

Don was standing up, his slender body leaning over the conference table. He has dark circles under his eyes and looked awfully tense, but it wasn’t anything new.

The contract was on the table and Donatello motioned to them to look at it. Mikey took it, read it twice, passed it to Leo, who read it as well. This is the moment Mikey realized Don was staring at him, but didn’t make any eye contact with Leo. That fight between them must have been vicious, and Mikey regretted never having asked his brother what had happened. 

“Here a pen,” Don proposed, pulling from his designer jacket a pen. “Read it carefully again, sign it and we will set that deal up by a handshake.”

Mikey read it again. There was no trap at all. It was even written down that “Leonardo and Michelangelo could have sexual intercourse and have affection displays, but those must remain behind closed doors.”

He was about to sign when Donnie stopped him. 

“Maybe I should talk to you beforehand about our next mission.”

Don explained he got a mysterious call and they both turned attentive. It was serious shit and the idea that this job could make them kind of heroes thrilled Mikey. 

“We will all work on that mission with even responsibility. I will work on the field as well. We are all working together to gather pieces of information and get that ooze.”

When Donnie was done, Mikey signed eagerly and passed the pen to Leo.

Now, Donatello was stretching his hands and by a glance to Leo, Mikey could see he was dubious as him. Don, despite his fancy clothes, as he was waiting to have the tea with the First Lady, looked like shit. Mikey had read some of Donnie’s anxious text messages. His brother had been pissed for their “vacations” and it was an understatement. Mikey had expected a worse backslash than having a dangerous and draining contract to fulfill and he bet Leo imagined worse. Even more, Don had accepted his condition: Mikey and Leo could be lovers, at the condition they didn’t do anything indecent in front of him. It was still fishy; Don was a jealous motherfucker, but it was written down on that contract he showed them and written contracts were sacred to their CEO. It was very unexpected. But they both read the contract: there was no trap.

Maybe Don realized he must let Leo go. Maybe Donnie got an epiphany about how much of a big, controlling jerk he had been for years. Maybe he only wanted them back and content to make that contract, since it seemed so damn important to him. Maybe now, everything would be fine, Mikey though.

Someone has to make a move and Mikey decided Leo did enough for the day. He stretched his hand to accept the handshake and got rewarded by a key pushed in his palm. Mikey looked at it, astonished.

“And here your car, Micheal,” Don said with an almost smirk and Mikey beamed. Was it Christmas? Don gave him the kind of contracts he kept claiming for months. Donatello let him have Leo as his boyfriend. And now, he got a car?

Maybe Don loved him and had been very worried he would overdose and die?

Mikey searched Raph’s eyes but this one kept staring at his pet stubbornly. Was he mad?

“And you, Leon, would you not shake my hand? Have we a deal?”Don asked, in a formal voice.

Mikey wondered what Don would give Leo in his glee to see him home? A new car? That trip to Paris Leo never mentioned wanting? His brother just signed as well, putting down gingerly the pen.

With still a slight reluctance, Leo extended his arm and at the minutes he grazed Don’s, they heard a snapping sound.

Leo looked at his wrist, stunned and for a brief moment, Mikey wondered if that weird bracelet was supposed to be a gift. Don loved to buy Leo’s fine jewelry. But it wasn’t the same kind of shiny shit as usual and without any obvious lock from what he could tell.

“This is what you get to not take my calls,” Don hissed, his fingers digging into Leo’s flesh and Mikey paled. Of course, it had been too easy. How a moron he had been to think Don could change after a few days? He should have known better. Donnie didn’t have an understanding, neither forgiving nature. They skipped work and tainted Don’s image and reputation.  
  
“That baby cost me a lot, but that would be worth it! You would never put me through such hell again! You know how worried I was, right?" Donatello asked, his brown eyes blazing. "About you, about Mikey? Do you know that I haven't slept in three days? I’m done spoiling you rotten to only get ungratefulness! Now you will learn to respect me!"

Angrily, after the first moment of blind shock, Leo pulled his hand away, studying the bracelet. It must be some tracking device. Don was such a controlling jerk.

“What is it?” he growled. “What did you do?” He tried to pull on the bracelet clipped at his wrist, but it was no use.

“I advise you to not try to get it off if you don’t want to trigger anything…”

Don raised his hand and undo slowly his cufflink to show he got a matching one. 

“I set a distance between us,” he explained, his voice shaking slightly because he was still holding back to roaring with victory, probably. It would be so inelegant. “If you go farther than allowed or deviate from the road I planned for you, an 80-decibel horn alarm rang, but that’s not all…” Again, he seized Leo and in a jerky gesture, pulled him closer. “Under it, two probes can penetrate your flesh and create an electrical circuit.” Don’s voice was thick with twisted arousal, turned on as the probes would breach Leo by proxy for his dick.

“The electricity sends signals to the central nervous system, causing pain and muscle contractions,” he continued and Mikey felt sick. “The goal is to incapacitate you and make you fall down...for you to never run away, anymore,” he snarled.

“Ugh, Don? I think you just lose your last screw,” April mumbled. Donnie’s weirdo friend was herself disturbed and that was a testimony of how badly Donnie just lost it. 

Mikey was shocked as well, and he understood better why Raph refused to meet their eyes. Scratch that, shocked wasn’t even accurate, he was far beyond that and everyone seemed to share his feelings. Raphael should have seen how mad Don was and had feared retaliation for them. Don gave him a cat to make him shut up. Mikey guessed Don had been incensed Leo didn’t take his calls, but he suspected Mikey’s conditions for them to come back had pushed Don even more furious.

And Mikey knew Leo accepted the condition because he cared too much for Mikey and thought Don was a lost cause for him or maybe, Leo had ever seen being with Mikey as a means to drive Donnie jealous as well. But Mikey never expected Don could go that far and put on Leo a device that would be even illegal on a serial killer.

“I think you may listen to your girlfriend, bro,” Mikey said, raising his hand in an appeasing gesture. He wasn’t happy to have a car anymore and barely held back to throw the key away. But Don was fucking edgy and a mere sparkle could flare him up for good. What if he pressed a button and Leo got a seizure right in front of them? Mikey couldn’t see that. 

“I’m not the girlfriend of such a narcissistic prick. I only appear to get on my bucket list to have sex with a mutant and you are all of the limits since I don’t have a death wish enough to mess with Donnie’s brothers,” April tried to joke, to lighten up the atmosphere. It didn’t work at all. 

Leo had turned ashed, but with a swift move, he pulled out a blade that he pressed on Donnie’s jugular and Mikey held his breath. It was so wrong, but he knew it wasn’t Leo’s fault. It wasn’t even Donnie. They all knew he was a possessive, dangerous lunatic when it turned around his siblings and Leo even more. Mikey’s childish demand had just been the push Donatello needed to give in to his dark side.

“And what if I slice your arm up?” Leonardo growled. He pressed harder and Mikey had a flash of what had occurred the night before, with Professor Leatherhead. Leo had killed him with no mercy at all. He had done that for Donnie because Leo loved him so much and the story of how Donnie had confessed his feelings to his homeroom teacher had stirred and riled up Leo at the same time. Mikey wasn’t sad about Leo being still moved by Donnie, anymore. Anyway, any warmth had left Leonardo since he got clipped that portative teaser at the wrist. Donatello could love Leo, he would never win him, by treating Leo either as a chihuahua or a captive.“No master bracelet, no trouble,” Leo snarled. “Don’t cross me.”

Don had a wicked smile.

“I expected it. If my heart pulse isn’t perceived by my own bracelet, rather than a powerful, but temporary shock, yours will deliver a sustained and deadly charge.” He snickered in front of Leo’s twisted features and livid face. “Don’t cross me is my line. You can enjoy your time with Mikey.” Just by his tone, Mikey felt validated. It was payback for Leo supposedly wanting to be with Mikey and Michelangelo felt like an as worse scumbag than Don. “I advise you to not moan your pleasure too loudly and trouble my sleep. My finger could conveniently slip on my bracelet. How unfortunate it would be.”

“I hate you,” Leonardo hissed through clenched teeth. He lowered his knife. How close he had been to forgive Don earlier was forgotten. “You psychotic jealous son of a bitch. Since you handed me that knife I knew you were insane.”

It didn’t daze Don and he gripped Leo close. Mikey pondered about it: so Donnie gave Leo his knife as he gave him the garrote wire? It didn’t improve at all his image of Donatello. 

“Hate me if you want, if you do it from my eyesight.” He got even closer, murmuring at Leo, but Mikey was close enough to understand. “I don’t mind being a psychotic jealous son of a bitch to quote you if that means you remain at my side.”

“What if we share?” Mikey proposed in an urging tone. He needed to give Don a peace offering. Mikey was sure that now that Don’s secret about having sex with Leonardo was in the open, Donnie could calm down if he knew he was allowed to continue doing so without being scared to taint his big bro image. He truly needed to get laid and that’s all if he was just able to admit it already. Mikey didn’t want Leo to suffer for his selfish decision. Again, it was Leo getting punished and having to clean Mikey’s shit. Self-hatred almost choked Mikey. “Leo wouldn’t mind.”

“I’m not sharing,” Donatello dropped disdainfully. He didn’t even turn his head to look at him. “And that Leonardo wouldn’t mind is all the issue. Who wants to be with such a…”

The strike came fast and Don rubbed his jaw.

“Good hook,” he muttered appreciatively to Leo, too much of a prideful asshole to show it was painful. He didn’t hit Leo back. Donatello had already shown more feeling in ten minutes than he usually does in a full year. Don was never violent, just effective and socially trained. Mikey never saw him laugh or cry, but now, he wondered if holding back that much could drive someone full metal mad, because it was what Don was.

Their brother walked to the table and raised his Champagne flute.

“It's been a while since I had Champagne, but today is a great day. We have a great contract that allows us an early retirement and I just got free of my main anxiety source.” Mikey could feel Don’s excitement. The crazy motherfucker was almost hard from his powertrip. It was sick. Raph rose up and left with his kitten. Mikey wished he could too. 

“How long?” Leo was fuming, but he knew better than trying to reason with Don. “How long do I have to wear this...security device?”

“Until I feel better about you not taking my call.” Don’s voice was serious. “Until my trust comes back and of course, not before that contract is over. Be grateful I didn’t follow my first idea and ask the same device into a cock ring form.” He took a long sip. “Come with me, April. Let's check something off your bucket list.”

Leo was trembling in rage, but Donnie wasn’t done. He came back, took the contract as it was his firstborn son, and dropped the last bomb.

“Oh and Leo, your taste in fashion is awful. You seem to be part of a criminal gang. Please, do yourself a favor and go change.”

When Don closed the door, the knife threw at him was so close, it sliced his bandana. Mikey wasn’t sure if Leo missed on purpose or not. He didn’t dare to ask, feeling like shit.

* * *


	17. Justify my love

The knife grazing his face didn’t make him flinch as Donatello walked to his office, followed by April.

He closed the door behind them, releasing a shaky sigh, his step strained.

“You’re bleeding,” April noted. “Your bro has a good aim. Too bad, he missed,” she taunted.

Don ripped off his sliced bandana and wiped the blood with less care than he would usually have.

“Leon’s aim is flawless. He missed on purpose,” he replied his voice thick. He wouldn’t let Leonardo’s honor be tainted. “He knew he would dig his own grave by killing me.” He didn’t care about having been cut. A knife thrown at his face was his last concern, actually. Sometimes, Leo was short-tempered. It happened to everybody.

“Are we really going to do it?” April asked, sounding eager. “Power tripping made you that horny?”

He didn’t reply, walking with great stride behind his desk, still clutching the blood-stained bandana in his hand. He didn’t even bother to glance at his mirror to see if it was deeply cut. It barely stung, but he was so hard between his legs, each step was painful.

Damn, Leo’s expression had been so hot, Donnie couldn’t take it anymore. His arousal must be visible and his face must be flushed and so, he refused to make a show of himself. He turned his shell to April and leaned over the wall, pulling his hard cock out of his pants. It was leaking to the point it had dampened his pants.

“Where are we doing it?”April asked in the background. “Your office isn’t exactly a honeymoon suite. But I guess if there isn't a PC in the room, a safe, and a smell of smoke and coffee, you can’t get it up,” she sneered.

Don dismissed her voice, and closed his eyes, focusing on the mental image. In his hand, his cock was slick, pulsating and twitching, thinking back on it. Leo’s blazing onyx gaze, his shaking voice, his whole being, overwhelmed by a wave of helpless anger. He remembered the clapping sound of the bracelet on the wrist, the contrast between the polished metal on the minty green flesh and his toes curled in his Italian shoes.

He had managed it, he thought, orgasm building up in him. He had made Leo his, in a way Leo couldn’t break the bond between them.

Leo was angry of course, but what was important was that he was his. Anyway, Leonardo would get used to it quickly. Don would make sure Leo had nothing to complain about. Now that he knew he had the upper hand and his brother was home, his rage had dimmed, leaving in its place a sharp feeling of arousal. Leo wouldn’t be able to run away, wouldn’t be able to fuck around. Mikey didn’t count. Mikey was family and so, it wasn’t the same. Anyway, Mikey was a bottom probably and there was no way he ever saw Leo’s ravished face.

Don bit his own wrist to not moan aloud as he pumped himself with more energy.

No one would ever see it. Leo’s pleasured face, his bedroom eyes, his body, his soul, it was all Don’s.

A magnificent treasure he just locked for himself.

He came hard, in the bandana he still clenched, biting harder to not call the name burned in his mind. His climax rolled two minutes, maybe three, until he dropped jello-boned in his chair, that he turned with a flick of the ankle, to hide his expression.

“Seriously?” April was incensed. “You just choked your chicken in my damn face and...it took you two minutes?” She was having a hard time processing what just happened. “What about that incredible sexual stamina mutants are supposed to have?”

Don took a deep breath, surfing a moment more on his afterglow, tucked his now flaccid dick in before rolling his chair to face his friend. April was sitting across the desk and probably two minutes ago, her legs were spread considering she had removed her leggings. He had a half-smirk. He wondered briefly if he had to save the mutant’s honor before deciding against it. 

“Why do you want to have sex with me so badly?” he asked, keeping his voice steady despite his breath still ragged. He balled the soaked bandana and threw the piece of evidence in his garbage can. Then, he pulled some kleenex to be sure his hands were clean. He didn’t care that April knew he busted a nut, but he did have the decency to hide the signs.

“It’s mere scientific curiosity,” she answered, her voice clipped while getting dressed again “By the way, your cheek is still bleeding.”

“I don’t see how me getting off could have an interest with chemistry,” Don deadpanned, wiping his face absent-mindlessly. He spun toward his mirror and pulled a face for a short moment. Leo was angry and so, it was fair. Anyway, it wasn’t deep enough to leave a scar, when his bite mark would stay a while on Leo’s flesh and the bracelet would stay even longer. He still needed to disinfect it; his own wound and Leo’s. He wasn’t a reckless animal. 

“Anyway, I didn’t call you in for that and you know it,” Donatello continued. April frowned, slightly confused. “Now that my brothers are home, I don’t need your babysitting service anymore,” he explained.

He opened a drawer to take some cash and also a check pad.

“Does it bother you if I pay a part with a check? I lack liquidity since Mikey emptied the safe, but it’s also that a check could give me a tax refund since it was home care for my disabled brother.”

April rolled her eyes.

“I so wanna throw some water in your face right now or slap you out of it,” she signed, annoyance lacing her voice. “I will just do as I always do; give you a darn stern talk about getting your shit together and get your dumb ass to therapy.”

"Therapy? Why? There's nothing wrong with me," Don said, giving her an unimpressed look from over his check pad. "I'm a successful businessman. My only issue is I have to handle two brats, but as you see, I managed it.” He put a hand under his chin, his mind already drifting away, to the comforting world of numbers. “So, let me calculate how much I owe you...I have $1800 in cash, here and…."

“Give me that and we are clear,” April said, snatching the money. “It’s enough to pay my rent, have my nails done, and also, buy some pretzels to watch Netflix.”

“Are you sure?” Don seemed bewildered. “I can at least make a $ 700 check for you. You can buy yourself more pretzels if that is what you want.” Donatello was perplexed. Who in their right mind refused money? “As I said, I can put it on my taxes…”

“Spare you the trouble,” she dropped, hands on her hips. “But you really need therapy!”

Donatello placed the check pad back in the drawer. April refused the money, fine. She was the idiot. But it didn’t mean she could demand shit of him.

“I told you, I’m fine.” The Champagne had left a pleasant taste on his tongue, but that reminded him too much of a certain night. The lust was still lingering in him, like a hot pool in his guts and now that his brothers were safe, he needed to get rid of that pointless horniness. “People in therapy are people who have been traumatized by their parents. I had none, so I have nothing to say,” he explained in a dry tone. 

She opened her mouth to ask or add something, but he interrupted her sharply. She has been nice and helpful, but now, he felt like being alone, maybe jerk off a second time if it was necessary and then, get some damn sleep. She should know more than anyone else that he hadn’t slept a blink for three days straight. 

“I’m from a lab,” he spat icily. “So, that means I’m a machine and machines don’t need therapy. The purpose of machines is to perform, not overthink. I won’t waste time and money, speaking to a stranger probably less smart than I am.”

“What if it’s not a stranger?” she chirped. “By the way, you know that any successful businessman or famous person has a therapist?” she folded her arms. “It’s mandatory; people must think you worked very hard across many difficulties to truly admire you,”she insisted.

He made a dismissive gesture. He knew April was trying to bait him, he wasn’t a moron. But an idea bloomed in his mind and he leaned over his desk, more interested.

“Whoever you are thinking of, if they are ready to take mutants, maybe you can suggest they have my brothers as practice. Not Raph, because he is content,” he clarified, “but Mikey and Leon.” Eagerly, he checked his calendar. “I can give them some time off at the beginning of....”

“If your brothers see a therapist, the next thing you know is Child protection taking away Mikey,” April declared. Don stared, pale and serious. “I’m sure the State service would take Raph away as well. Both are your pupils, but they would affirm you are harmful to them.”

“Bullshit!”Don stood up, brown eyes blazing. “I’m not…”

“When they would talk about how they turned into a con-artist or cold-blooded assassin to make you a living…” she shrugged. “Your brother Leo could stay at your side since he is an adult, but between you that he hates, and Mikey and Raph that he gets along with...” she has a sly smirk. “The choice is easy to make.”

“Shut up!” He didn’t even want to say one word more. He had lost his temper one too many times today and emotions were draining, even more, when sleep-deprived. “You know nothing about us.” Leo didn’t hate him. He was just hot-blooded and had been too spoiled by him. When he was getting scolded, Leonardo had a hard time accepting it, that’s all. But one part of what April said was true. He couldn’t entrust his brothers to a nosy stranger. Mikey was very chatty and without meaning it, he could let something slip. And despite his protests, he knew Leo wouldn’t stick around. Since day one, when he entered the Ramen Shop, Leon had made it pretty clear he wouldn’t ever accept being parted from Mikey. If he was taken away, who would give Michelangelo the firm discipline he needed? And what about Raph? Don would rather die than see Raph sent to another foster home where he would get martyrized without even thinking to fight back. Their family would fall apart and Donatello had vowed to protect each of them and keep the family together.

“What about me,” she proposed in a softer voice. “I know I’m a chemist, but well, I went to the library two weeks ago. I borrowed some books and…” She must have realized how Don looked at her incredulously because she pulled a begging face. “I know your bros hate me and all, but I think you need a mediator. I can listen to you and to them and then, pass the message in a more appropriate way.”

Donatello mused over the proposition. Mediator sounded better to his ears than a therapist. 

“What about every Wednesday afternoon? I can see each of you 45 minutes,” she proposed, pushing forward, seeing he was still listening. “I can also make myself fake business cards, with a fancy, professional font and you could pull it out of your wallet and show it off.”

Donatello crossed his hands, now solemn. An idea just crossed his mind.

“Does your mediator’s service include a full report of whatever my brothers tell you?” he asked gravely. “Don’t bullshit me with professional confidentiality!” His voice was heavy with intent. “You didn’t get any psychotherapist or mediation degree.” A predatory grin graced his face. “I don’t mind paying you for extra-hours of work these reports could ask you.” 

He reached for his pocket again, filled with the need to smoke he had when he was dealing with serious business. Then, he remembered he threw away his cigarettes and so he rose up to get a box of some Cuban cigars he kept for a great occasion.

"It depends," April replied, her voice carefully neutral. "If you accept to talk to me enough for you to deserve it."

Don glanced at her briefly while lighting up his cigar.

"I can find a free spot in my schedule. This is for my brother’s sake, right?" he released a puff. "But what concerns me is what is your benefit?"

“Sometimes humans feel like being kind with no reason at all,” she replied.

Don nodded, feeling suddenly sleepy. He took one long drag on his cigar.

“Do as you wish with them, but don’t upset them in any way. I bet they wouldn’t mind killing you. Leo and Mikey I mean.”

“Don’t worry, since I know you, I’m used to dealing with crazy mutants.”

“It's set then. You can leave, now,” he dismissed her with a motion of the hand. “I have some very important things to do, business-related.”

At the moment she left, after having called him a jerk again, he opened up his laptop, his face finally free to express how horny he still was. Somewhere in their house, Leo was walking around, wearing Don’s material evidence of ownership and thinking back of it hardened his cock again. 

The idea that he now had the power of death or life over Leo was overwhelming him. Of course, he wouldn’t ever hurt his brother. He really hoped to never have to use the bracelet. It would break his heart to be forced into disciplining Leonardo. Don could be called severe and harsh, the fact was that he hated to punish his brothers. Maybe the fear would be enough to keep Leo in line.

Don was unusually happy and he wondered what to do with that good mood. Acting on an impulse, he did online shopping and without knowing exactly if he would use it, he bought a full suitcase of luxurious sex toys before being hit by another idea. He wrote an email, describing what kind of customized piece he wanted and suddenly, remembered they needed to burn a building. He typed an email to Leonardo, politely asking if the bracelet was too tight or bringing him any discomfort and added some hygienical tips. Then, he sent him the details of their contract. After having pressed the send button, he felt like taking a nap, knowing very well Leo wouldn’t go anywhere, anytime soon.

When Don woke up in his office chair, he was briefly disoriented, before he checked his emails, schedule assistant, bank account, and memory came back. Mikey did the arson as requested. Nothing had happened, but the money for it had been transferred in their account and his bracelet didn’t vibrate to signify Leo triggered his

The organization that had contacted him sent him an email with the details. The Grand Nexus Hotel would pass hiring interviews on Friday the following week, interviews they must succeed to. Until then, they have to be discreet. There was Thursday. Donatello thought it was very timely. Leonardo nagged him to no end for them to go on vacation. It was a way to placate his brothers. Of course, the Ramen shop would stay open but it was only a few hours a week and so, didn’t count as real work in Donatello’s book.

It was still early, but his brothers may be in the Dojo and so, he decided to skip training. Anyway, he overdid it while his brothers were away, while April was watching Raph. The fact that the Siamese errant cat Raph had been taking care of was what had brought him his kitten had been a blessing. It showed Raph was fond of it and so he had benevolently accepted that his brother keep it. It had kept Raph busy; he always had it in his arms, petting it as it was a stress ball. Meanwhile, alone in that basement, Don had given into some other stress reliefs. 

His muscles stiff from his 18 hour night in his office chair, he used his private staircase to climb to his room. He took a long shower, put on his best clothes, and returned downstairs for his special smoothie. He was still in the same excellent mood as the day before and humming a song. He turned the blender on after pouring in some frozen fruits and sprinkling them with some of his special “enhanced performance vitamins”. 

He took an appreciative sip and hearing someone stepping in the kitchen, he glanced up. It was Leonardo, pale and with red-rimmed eyes, and suspicion hit Don. Had his brother managed to escape and run to that depraved place he went with Mikey to do drugs and fuck around with strangers? It was impossible with the bracelet but even if he didn’t get machines at all, Leo was very clever, so it could be. No, it was impossible, he was getting paranoid again. Maybe him and Mikey have partied in their room. He did search their whole room while those ungrateful bastards were gone. He got rid of any pills he found in Mikey’s, but in Leo’s, he found only some regular Aspirin and muscle relaxant.

Leo was there, frozen in his tracks like he was face to face with a dangerous wild animal and just like that, Don’s good mood was gone. Leo probably just didn’t sleep, he reasoned. It was either he fucked the shit out of Mikey all night long and that thought made him scowl or the last night mission kept him awake. 

Or he cried, a voice told him, but he drowned it away. To cry wasn’t Leo at all if Mikey wasn’t on the verge of dying.

“Why do you look at me like that? I won’t bite your head off. You ran away, I scolded you and now, you won’t do it again, right?”

“Scolded?” Leo snarled. He opened his mouth to start an argument, but it was like even as silver-tongued as he was, he struggled to find the good words. Of course, he didn’t find them, because Donatello had been so right and even, merciful in his retaliation. Leo ran away, fucked with Mikey, spent his cash, punched him and threw a knife at him. And still, Don was speaking in a polite and even gentle voice. And what about all the stuff he bought in the last days? His throat grew dry as his mind recalled his last purchase. Don turned away for it to not show it on his face. When he turned to look at Leo again, he was sitting at the table, twirling his knife, a habit he had when he was in a sour mood. Don needed to appease him. 

“Good job last night. I guess Micheal had no issues at all? You were right, he is more capable than I thought. You did train him well.” Leo was silent, despite the praise. “Anyway, you will be happy, because I have good news for you. You nagged me for vacation and I’m giving to you. Our next contract asks us for discretion. Last night’s contract was the last one for eight days.”

“Have you ever thought it could be a competitor that wants to get us out of business,” Leo pointed out, still playing idly with his knife. In the morning sunbeam, both the blade and the bracelet shone deliciously and Don stared, almost drooling. Leo seemed totally unaware of how breathtaking he was, for once. “Don’t you think this whole thing is weird?”

Donatello shut up a moment kicked out of his reverie. He mused over his brother’s words. He could be a brain, Leo was smart enough for Don to take his opinion into consideration. This is why they were such a good team. There was why they should stick together, until their last heartbeat.

“Your point is relevant, but it’s not the feeling I got….” Don started to explain patiently.

“Feeling?” Leonardo snorted. “What do you know about feeling?”

Don wasn’t dazed. It was the kind of comment he was used to.

“Let me reword it: it wasn’t the impression that I had from it.”

Leo shrugged, his expression cold and jaded and he stood up to leave without having breakfast.”

“Anyway, I don’t care for that business of yours,” Leo trailed off about to leave, but in one long stride, Don grabbed his arm.

“Watch your words!” he growled. Again, Leo made him lose his temper. How ungrateful that prick was? It was unbelievable! After how much he sweated for them! “I poured my soul into our family business, for you, for…”

Leo gave him a hard shove to disengage himself.

“This may explain why you don’t have one, anymore.”

And on those cryptic words, Leonardo had left and...it had been the last time Don had heard his voice. For a week, his brother was avoiding him leaving the room if Don entered. Don was so rarely leaving his own office, it must be on purpose. Donatello decided to not react, if Leon was childish enough to give him the silent treatment, so be it. 

He didn’t hear any sound coming from Mikey or Leo’s room, even if he did brace himself for it. But Donnie’s room was the only one being soundproof and so, from his own room, he heard almost nothing. He had thought of planting bugs in their room but had decided against it. If they found out, they would never let him live it down and also, there were things Donnie preferred to not know, as un-emotional as he was. 

But the day he received the sex toys and the special customed item he had ordered, the desire to break his brother’s stubborn sulking overwhelmed him. He watched it for hours, jerking himself off raw very erotic-and slightly twisted-scenario playing in his mind. 

Fantasies about restraining Leo and making him beg, drenched in cum and bites wasn’t hurting anybody and so, since he was also on vacation, he let his imagination run wild, something that had barely happened to him in more than twenty years. It was refreshing and well, not too much of a hindrance since he had nothing that much to do other than checking WallStreet stoke.

He had totally forgotten about April until she knocked on his door on a Wednesday afternoon. 

“I’m worried about your brothers’ mental health,” she started, knowing that it was a great way to catch his full attention from the beginning.

“Did Leon talk to you?” Don asked, slightly surprised. Leonardo despited April. He never exactly knew why and decided the jealousy was the reason. 

“He did tell me he would rip my tongue off and slice my head off and hang it in front of your office door if I dared to speak to him again. Does that count as talking?” April asked, pretending naivete. 

“Yes, considering he didn’t open his mouth in front of me for six days straight,” Don said, reaching for his cigarette. He had abandoned this idea to stop smoking. Who cares anyway? His brothers wouldn’t dare to tell him anything and now that we’re in the open...

“I admit never a guy gave me so many butterflies in my stomach than your brother whispering death threats with his kissy face,” she said in a dreamy voice. “But your brother Mikey, you know who I’m talking about, right? Five-foot tall, with an orange bandana…”

Don pulled a face to tell April to stop playing around and she chuckled.

“He was so sure I was sent by you and would snitch all that he said. He spoke to me so much, I should have made him stop so I could take notes.”

Donatello listened to all of it, a finger on his cheek, serious and face closed as April explained to him Mikey promised to never do drugs, not even smoke weed, and be very obedient and behaving if Don considered removing Leo’s bracelet. 

“I will never remove it,” Don replied calmly before realizing he was contradicting himself. He did tell Leo he would eventually. “Well, not before a few years. Until my trust comes back. But tell Michael I’m very proud of him turning his back to his addictions.” What a waste of time.

April stared a moment.

“O-kay,” she said. “This is not at all the most obsessive crazy shit I have ever heard of…”

“I’m glad we both agree on that,” Don deadpanned. “So, what else?”

“He said Leo isn’t eating. He isn’t sleeping either. He said you are killing him and so, you have to remove the bracelet.”

“I told you I won’t.” Don made a dismissive gesture with the hand holding the cigarette. “Mikey has always been a drama queen.” Yes, that day Leo left without eating, but it’s mean nothing right? But he knew Leon too; that jerk could play a Gandhi act to break Donnie’s ball and got the bracelet removed. Well, Leon was solely mistaken. The fact they all insisted so much for him to remove it showed they were up to something.

“Are you not concerned about your favorite brother,” April leaned her head, analyzing him. 

“He isn’t my favorite. Raph is,” Don said, releasing a puff. “Because Raph is grateful and low-maintenance.”

“How can you know when he barely speaks to you?”April pointed out. “Anyway,” she was reading the atmosphere enough to get that speaking of Raph was something Don wasn’t eager to do. “I get it, you want to be sure Leon stays here, but have you ever thought of making him stay by pleasing him instead of using coercive measures?”

“This is already what I do. I bought him…”

April raised her hand.

“I read a book,” she announced. “And it has been a revelation to me. And I think it could change your family dynamic. In a better way,” she added. “No cash needed.”

Donatello was rather dubious at the statement.

April started rambling about how Donatello had a dom side that he could feed in a bedroom with the submissive of his choice, instead of acting like a rightful asshole all day long. She didn’t name anyone specifically, but he got the hint.

“Are you done filling your mind with naugthy fantasies featuring my brother and I?”

“I'm not,” she protested. “But I do think that your need to control could be used more efficiently in the bedroom. It would keep you sated for the day and your brothers will…”

“I’m not discussing my sexual life with you,” Don countered, his voice clipped. “Neither my brother’s. So, if you’re done with your counselling based on female audience erotic pop litterature…” He stood up. April was too close to home. This is what he wanted; this is what he had fantasized about for a week. Scratch that for years. He wanted Leonardo to eat in his hand as a tamed pet, purring and giving him adoring gazes. Images flashed in his mind, of his brother on his knee worshipping him and he opened his laptop, blankly staring at the screen, leaning over the desk, without any look to April, like she wasn’t there. He wanted that, could it take it without ruining everything?

“At least, show them physically how much you care at least twice a day,” she signed. “You know, a tap on the shell or something…It couldn’t hurt.”

He could feel how intensely she looked at him, but he refused to meet her gaze. “They are hating you,” she finally stated. “They hate hating you, because they would actually prefer to love you, but you are…” She searched for an accurate word. “Not loveable,” she finally uttered. “But I know, and they know too how much you actually love them. I think this is why you aren’t being murdered in your sleep, yet.”

“You watch too many romantic movies while drinking Merlot, April. Or eating Pretzel. Or whatever humans do. Now if you excuse me, I have money to earn.”

“Well, your bro Mikey is sneaky and a garrote wire is a pretty silent way to kill someone,” she trailed off as he didn’t say anything. “It would be ironic, right? You trained them to be an assassin and you would be the one killed. It would be like Caesar killed by his bastard Brutus right? But you are already acting like him. I always wondered when you would start to talk about yourself in the third person.”

“You are delusional.”

He was so done with April emotionally dissecting him, even the air from the ramen shop seemed appealing all of sudden. He swung open his door office, eager to get away, but put a calm expression on his face when he heard some shot from an unknown voice.

“...when I call the Food Safety and Inspection Service, we will see if your mutant bitch ass is still as arrogant. Refund me now or get ready to have this place running in trouble.”

Donatello frowned. If there was a thing he made a point of honor about was that the whole place was safe and sanitary. State or federal people barging in was his only recurrent nightmare and so he had always made sure to have a spotless restaurant record. Also, the food was good: Mikey was a great cook and Raph took great care of their garden. All the ingredients they used were fresh! Their place was also cheap; in the hood, it was useless to have a high price, and anyway, they made their money by other means. So what was that customer’s beef?

He never knew because the moment he stepped in the room, Leo sunk his knife into the hand of the customer yelling in front of him in one sharp move with a flick of his wrist. 

“Arrrgggggg” the guy shouted. He stared at his hand with wide, terrorized and incredulous eyes. He didn’t dare to move, trying not to fuck up his hand’s nerves more, Don analyzed coldly. “You fucking stabbed me, you fucking psycho mutant!” he cried out and Donatello could have found his panic laughable if it wasn’t frigging 2:00 pm, in the open.

“Raph, the door sign,” he ordered, catching sight of a very still Raph watching from the corner.

Raphael moved at the command and in two long strides, he flipped the close/open sign.

Leon was still staring, as still as a statue, and Don wondered why his brother wasn’t slicing the customer’s throat to make him shut up. It wasn’t like Leo to hesitate, but his brother seemed stuck in a shocked state as he was facing a ghost.

“Raph, make him shut up,” Don said, his eyes studying Leonardo. He was trembling, eyes widened and concern seized Don. For days, Leo was acting jumpy, like a wounded animal and Donatello darkened, wondering what had happened in the few days they were gone for his brother to turn that edgy.

With his two hands, as big as the guy’s head, in a one twisting motion, Raphael broke his neck and the scream died.

Mikey had long since poked his head in from the kitchen, but stayed half hid like he was scared. What did that customer do to them, Donatello wondered briefly. How much he hated that Ramen shop that anyone could step in and upset or hurt his siblings. This is why he started their other, more lucrative business. To protect them all.

“Leon,” he called softly and his brother glanced at him, his gaze unreadable, a few splatters of blood making him an even more disturbed face.

“What is happening in there,” April exclaimed and Don’s instinct moved before she was done with her sentence, pulling her down, as the knife flew over her head, the edge sticking in the wall at the exact place April’s head was a heartbeat ago.

“What is happening here,” she asked again. Don was a bit impressed about how not too distressed she was.

“Leon has been trained to kill any witness out of our family,” he explained. “Don’t worry, he didn’t mean it and it’s nothing against you; just his instinct kicking in.”

April gave a nervous giggle and Leo stayed mute with a detached expression very uncharacteristic of him. April was right, Leonardo wasn't well. He would do his big brother's duty and his eyes slid down to Leo's wrist. He could see a glimpse of the bracelet and the need was so tangible, it ached to his bones. Leo caught him staring and turned stiff. Leon needed to be soothed and Don knew exactly how to do it.

“Mikey, Raph, clean the place. Put the body in freezer C for now. I have more important things to do right now. Leon,” he called again, his voice steady and firm. “Come with me.”

Leo glanced down and seized his own wrist as he was bracing himself for an incoming shock. Don walked the distance to put a comforting arm over his brother's shell. Physical display of affection twice a day, April had said. 

Leon was still unmoving and he gently pulled him away from the human body he was still staring at.

“Fuck,” Mikey mumbled. “What a way to spend an afternoon.”

“Hiding bodies and getting rid of them is bothersome,” Don mused aloud. Mikey probably wanted to go to the skatepark and to content Mikey was mandatory to calm down Leo. These two were the real twins. But Mikey could still work a little before a few days off and well, he definitely could after the hell Don went through when they ran away. “And we are supposed to stay clean for a while.” He paused, pondering about what to do. “Mikey, what can you do with him?”

Mikey frowned, confused and Donatello felt he needed to be more clear. 

“I mean, it’s meat, right and it’s still fresh...for now.” Michelangelo seemed to not understand and Don snapped while dragging Leo away. “I don’t know, you’re the cook, but it could be used to stuff dumplings, right? Seasoned it would taste like pork. Why waste it? Meat is so expensive nowadays.” 

“And when I thought you couldn’t turn crazier, you are always impressing me by sliding deeper into madness,” April snickered. “You hate humans so much, now you will eat them?”

“I don’t eat fat, low quality meat, but our customers could. Cilantro would do an amazing job improving the taste.” 

Don didn’t bother to wait for a reaction as he pushed the door leading to the staircase, still dragging his brother.

“Where are we going?” Leonardo demanded to know. He seemed furious and dreadful at once. “You want to punish me?”

“To punish you? Why would I?” Don asked, genuinely confused. 

“I killed a customer in the daytime when it wasn’t a target,” Leo replied flatly.  
  
“He insulted you and threatened to give us trouble.” Donatello shrugged. “You did what you have to do...and you were beautiful doing it,” he choked, despite trying to sound casual.

Leonardo had always been weak to compliments and it was something Donnie didn’t mind indulging him with. And it had been true. When Leo had stuck the knife in the guy’s hand, he had looked like a beautiful angel of death. This gorgeous and effective assassin was his handiwork, he thought with a delighted shiver, still leading Leo gently to their destination: his bathroom. 

“What are we doing here?” Leo was breathing hard and the glare he gave him was fierce. He scanned the place around as he was a cornered animal. There was nothing much to see; Don’s marble bathroom was only having the mere necessary, but in the high end version. “You don’t let anybody enter your bedroom or bathroom.”

“But you are not anybody,” Don said. “You’re my precious, very special, brother.” 

Leo froze, looking astonished and Don supposed he could let go of him and lock the door. 

“What are we doing here?” Leonardo asked again, his voice huskier. “It's so impersonal. It looks like an overrated fancy hotel bathroom.”

Donnie didn’t bother to reply to the taunt. His brother was nervous and confused and he wanted to take it to his advantage. It was a rare opportunity. Donatello ran his eyes down his brother's body. The fantasy playing in his mind since he got his package the day before. He didn’t expect to use it so soon, but April was right. He had been too strict and too vague to voice his expectation. Leo was his, but needed to recognize it. Leonardo was very stubborn and prideful. Don knew he wouldn’t obtain it only by discipline. Leo was a carnal person; he needed to be pleasured, but pleasured in a way that would not drag Don into this chaotic world of feeling.

“Undress,” Don demanded calmly. He had to hide how excited he was. If he let slip anything, Leo would get the upper hand on him, destroy him and the business Don worked so hard for. 

Leo stared and asked why, his tone dubious. Donatello remained patient; training Leo would be long, but the reward would be incredible. His brother had always been excellent submissive material. He just needed to reconnect with that part of his being. Leo wasn’t understanding himself, he was confused and this is why he was unhappy, Don decided. Finally, April’s monologue had some good sides.

“Do you want to spank me?” he asked, belligerent. “Do it and I slash your hand, even if I should die from it!” he vowed fiercely. 

“Your clothes have blood splatters.” Donatello pointed to the white shirt collar. “Undress and then, lay in the bath. I won’t spank you. You have my word.”

“No.”

Donatello undid his necktie and the three top buttons slowly, and climbed into the empty bathtub. Maybe if he gave the example, Leo would be more willing to follow his lead.

“Undress and come sit in here with me,” he asked again. “I will take a look at your wound since it’s worrying me. Then, I will make you relax.” He put a hand on his chest. “I swear.”

Still hesitant, Leo unbuttoned his waiter uniform and he was soon completely naked, except for the bracelet. Don’s mouth grew dry with desire and he fought the arousal to not show any kind of physical reaction. 

_“That’s right, he is here at your mercy. Enslave him. Mikey may have forced your hand in that contract, but he can’t satisfy him, not as you can. Leon needs you, he just didn't aware of it enough, yet."_

“Come sit with me,” Don encouraged him. A contract was sacred to him and sharing Leo was out of the question. But giving his brother some erotic stimulation, only for Leo’s benefit and not his wasn’t breaking the contract and wasn’t sharing. Leo would give him an even greater thrill than flushing the cocaine. Leo would be as splendid as an all you can eat free feast that he wouldn’t take a bite of. 

Trembling slightly Leo climbed into the bathtub and with a gentle gesture, Don pulled him toward him, Leo’s shell on his plastron. They had never embraced like that, not sober or not since they had more than a mattress. It was true Leo seemed to have lost weight and Don chastitied himself for his neglectfulness. 

“Why are there so many mirrors in here?” Leo motioned with his chin toward the vast mirror above the cast iron bath. “Your girlfriend is right, you are truly narcissistic!”

“She is not my girlfriend, so you can stop trying to kill her, already,” Don replied idly.

Just under his chin, the bite mark was there. It wasn’t pretty, but it wasn’t looking infected. He blew softly on it and asked if it hurt.

“Not really, just a dull ache…” Leo quipped coldly. “That wasn’t the time you acted the most like a lunatic.

“I’m glad it doesn’t hurt.” He dismissed the rest of the sentence. “To hurt you is the last thing I want.”

Don’s lips grazed it as a quick peck and Leo’s whole body tensed. So reactive.

“I have a gift for you…” Don’s voice was hoarse from an excitement barely contained. “This is a very different type of…”

“I don’t want a gift.” Leo was already trying to get out of Don’s lap, but Don was quick to prevent him from going, locking Leo’s legs with his and holding him by the chest. “The last time you gifted me, you gave me a taser bracelet,” Leo snarled with hatred. “I want nothing from you!”

The words hurt slightly but Donnie was used to those. When puberty hit his brother, Leo had started to act all rebellious, but Don knew that sound enough, Leo would purr. 

“That isn’t accurate. We received a few days ago what I bought when you were away.” Uttering these words reminded him how close he had been to losing his mind over his missing brothers and that hurt him so much more. “You refused to open it then. That isn’t my fault.”

“Release me.” Leo’s breath was ragged as he was about to hyperventilate. “I know what you bought me, you psycho.” Leo turned his head the best he could for their eyes to lock. “I’m sure it’s a chastity belt because you are crazy enough for that.”

At this, Don was annoyed. The fact was it was something that he hoped to bring Leo up. The idea was turning him on to a very high point. To see Leo so unwilling was disappointing, but Don didn’t build their family business in one day. With care and patience, he would get Leo ready. 

“I swear this isn’t a chastity device. It’s the opposite, it’s to give you pleasure.” Don nuzzled him. “I want to pleasure you. You deserve it for your hard work and diligence and for all the years you took care of our family for me.”

Leo was stiff and anxious but wasn’t trying to run away anymore. As a reward for his good behavior, Don again kissed the bitemark, while massaging Leo’s upper arm with his thumbs in a comforting gesture. 

“If you say you don’t want it, I won’t force you,” Donatello continued. “But I chose this with you in mind. I thought it would bring us closer…” 

_“Yes, you want him so close, he can’t live without you. He wouldn’t even be able to cum without his master’s command. Then, the bracelet won’t even be necessary when he will be well-trained.”_

Don shivered hard as his mind pictured a moaning Leo, crawling on the ground, begging to get fucked. 

He stretched his arms, now knowing Leo wouldn’t escape and picked up the box that was waiting near the bath.

“Open it,” he whispered. 

After a last hesitation, Leon opened the box and Don regretted his position behind him to miss his reaction.”

“This is a buttplug,” Leo said in a dull voice. His disappointment was evident. “I already have one.”

“Correction: it’s a Louis Vuitton buttplug!” Don exclaimed, trying to hide his own frustration to see Leo lack eagerness. “Have you ever seen anything as fancy as this one?” He knew he couldn’t placate Leo by telling him the indecent price of it. Leo was too used to lavish presents. “I know I scolded you about spending on sex toys, but this one is different. This is my gift for us to have some quality time, just the two of us together. See? LV. It’s almost our initials. I should have asked them to turn the V into a D,” he murmured seductively. “There’s the bottle of lube with it. Put it on and spread your legs. I want to see you. All of you.”

Leo’s breath hitched.

“What about Mikey,” he asked, uncertain.

“Mikey won’t mind. He loves you. He wants you to be content and satisfied. He can’t give you that fully, not as I do.” Don felt his tongue thick, arousal creeping, clouding his higher function already. “You know what we have is different.”

“What do we have?”

“Put it in and I will tell you,” Donatello promised.

Gingerly, Leo took the two objects in hand, and carefully started to finger himself as he spread the lube before inserting the golden buttplug.

 _“Yes, he is doing it,”_ Don felt like roaring. Leo was here, fidgety, but pliant, docile, willing.

“Spread your legs wider, I want to see everything. Yes, like that,” he approved and he rewarded Leo with a kiss at the temple. “Now, drop down and jerk off until you come. I want you to milk yourself to the last drop.”

With a whimper, Leonardo did as he was told and started pulling on his cock. Don watched greedily, drooling at the glorious sight before his eyes. The bite mark, the bracelet, and now this fancy buttplug, as a cherry on the top of the amazing dessert that was for him, alone.

“You are beautiful. Do you know how much you are?” It was thrilling to see how much his words affected Leon and that he had to do nothing more than speak lovingly to him for Leonardo to make a pool in the bottom of the bathtub. “I may not say it as much as you want, but I swear there’s nothing I love more to gaze at than you.” He nuzzled him again. “Do you like that?”

"Yes," Leo breathed, hand moving faster. His whole body was shaking with need.

"Slower. " Don murmured in a shallow breath. He firmly gripped Leo’s wrist, gently rubbed the bracelet with his thumb. The metal was so nicely standing out from the minty green hue, he thought again. “Slow down, I want to enjoy this.” 

Leonardo complied with a cute whimper and he got rewarded by a stroke on his arm. Pearly ribbons were leaking from Leo’s cock tip and he supposed that Leo wouldn’t need any more lube if Don gave into the fantasy to insert something else into his brother’s body. “Put your feet on the bath edge. I want to see that jewel in such a magnificent setting.” How badly he wanted to remove that buttplug and sink himself into that willing, hot body. But it would be against everything he had done in the last years. What they were doing was to get Leo addicted, docile and content; not the other way around. Leo was like the coke he wasn’t snorting, just getting high on the willpower he had to not take the mindblowing drug offered as he refused to consume Leonardo, despite how badly he craved it. "Tighten up your hand, Leo. I want that precome to get milked out," he instructed. 

Leo followed every direction, with eagerness and the change was thrilling him to the core. “But you have to wait for my command. Focus on me, focus on my voice.” His own arousal was hard to hide by now. Leo was so close, he must have felt the bulge on his shell. “Rock these hips, we both know how much of a horny little thing you are.”

Leon was babbling nonsense, begging to be owned and bred and to not hear any more of it, and got tempted, he gave his fingers to Leo to suck on. It wasn’t a good idea, his brother’s tongue twirled like an acrobat around his digits and Don couldn’t take it anymore. He had to stop to keep his self-control.

“Now,” he simply said, digging his fingers hard into his brother’s bicep, prying on the scene as his brother blew his load for minutes, rolling through his orgasm and wailing so loudly, Mikey and Raph may have heard it from downstairs. Anyway, Mikey wouldn’t dare raise any objection. They didn’t have sex and so, it was fair. Don had respected his word, only pleasuring Leo in a way Mikey couldn’t, not as the child he was. 

After what had seemed to him as agonizingly long, his brother’s body turned soft in arms. Leo turned his head lazily, probably wanting a kiss, but a french kiss was far too much emotionally involved and carefully, Don disengaged himself to raise up. 

“Where are you going?” Leo wanted to know, with hooded bedroom eyes. Don took in the details, feeding his dom side to see Leo so drained and blissful, with his cum splattered plastron and his legs still spread in an obscene angle, exposing his gold stuffed hole. 

Don didn’t reply right away, taking the shower head and adjusting it until the water was lukewarm. Aftercares were important, April said and anyway, to soothe Leo and keep him blissful was the thing he was the most eager to do, if Leon wouldn’t ask more. He was still a little surprised by how smoothly it had gone. Leo had a submissive side, he always knew that, but he never thought it would be so easy to make him so happy. He would save hundreds of thousand of dollars a year now that he knew the recipe to make Leo a puddle of hormones without risking himself in the process.

“I’m washing you,” he replied. “Is the temperature correct?” 

“Yeah,” Leo replied slowly. Don could read the question in those expressive onyx eyes before his brother asked. “So, what did we have?”

Don motioned to Leo to remove the buttplug to clean it after. He debated with himself how to explain it without Leo thinking they were in a romantic relationship. They weren’t. Leo and Mikey forced him into writing that contract. Leonardo had to take responsibility for the bad decision he made. Anyway, Don would never be in any romantic relationship. They weren’t even in a sexual relationship. It was only Leo feeding his exhibitionist side. So, how to explain to Leo that Don couldn’t remove the bracelet? Leo deserved to be rewarded for his good behavior and so, he would give him an answer.

“Have you ever wondered why Splinter took you in? Because at first, I was the only one adopted.” Don smirked at Leo’s incredulous face. The story they all knew was that Splinter agreed for Leo and Don after having chosen Raphael. “The orphanage wanted to get rid of me because I was giving them the chill.” He let out a dark chuckle. “I heard them saying that. Splinter met me first and I sold him on Raph at first because I wanted him away from that place. I told him he was strong and could help him with manual labor. Then, I told him about the pretty turtle working at the canteen.”

Leo’s attention was even more on him and Don licked his lips. 

_“Love me, I need your love. But don’t ask anything because I can’t. I’m from a lab. I need to perform. Feelings are counterproductive. But pleasing you and getting you off is something I can do for you.”_

“I insisted on the fact you worked there since he had a restaurant. I shut up about Mikey on purpose, knowing very well you would bring him along.” Don took a deep breath. He hated to talk about his feelings. Could it be called a feeling, even he wondered. But he guessed it would please Leo and put him at ease. “I asked him to take you in because I wanted you from the first time my eyes landed on you.”

Leonardo was looking at him with eyes full of wonder, so solely focused on him; perfect as he should be, as Don had dreamed him to be. His Leon, his belongings. He cherished him so much, he put a $20,000 security system on it. Why could Leon not see the bracelet as greater evidence than any oaths he could make? 

He used the momentum to snatch a towel and, helping Leo to stand up, he dried him with it. Then, he pulled out his own bathrobe, the same as Leo’s but in a deep eggplant color. 

“You need to rest, Leon.” He caressed the cheek of his beautiful brother slash sex servant. Well, he wasn’t a sex servant, more a performer, for Don’s visual pleasure and his own. “Then, Mikey will make you chicken soup. If you want me to invite you into my bathroom to play, you need to eat. Do you understand?”

Leonardo nodded, completely tamed and Don felt to the point of bursting. 

“Would you not lay down with me?” Leonardo asked, his eyes full of hope.

“I can’t.” Leo’s demand was cute, but he had to refuse it. At least, he had for now a perfect reason for that. “I have that body to take care of.”

Leo’s eyes were troubled a moment.

“You weren’t serious, right? When you told Mikey to debone and prepare that man?”

“Do you want me to prepare you herbal tea? Mint would do wonders for your stress.” Don said with a plastered grin. He gently dragged Leo away. “You will give me back that bathrobe later.”

Leo tried to resist, but the orgasm had turned him mellow. The moment the door was shut, Donatello dropped down and he worked out his own release, that had been building in him for the last 30 minutes.   
It didn’t take long and he wondered what he could give to April to thank her for her good advice.

”


	18. Lay-outs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lay-outs by my lovely friend Oas1s  
> Those lay-outs show the Ramen Shop floor and the one above  
> 


	19. Interlude Raph: Psycho Killer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter people voted for on Twitter. I was so hoping Raph wouldn't win! I wanted to keep him a mystery a little longer. I would have rather wanted to write from the dead customer's pov! :P
> 
> But I have one word and so, here Raph's pov. I tried to linger on other past episodes than the ones Don, Leo, and Mikey told. 
> 
> There's no art to post because the art prepared is for Leo's pov!

"So, Raph. We’ve never talked before and I'm not sure Donnie even made the effort to introduce me officially ever. He pretends he is all polite and gentlemanly, you know?" April smirked. "When he doesn’t even have basic manners. It shows he never had a Mom. Don't you think so?" She waited a moment, for a reaction that didn’t come. "I’m April," she said with emphasis as if he was deaf. "I’m your brother Donatello's friend." She pointed to her shirt. "You can call me yellow. I don't mind. I know you are more comfortable with color."

Raph stroked Plum's fur. It was soft and his anguish dimmed a bit. Of course, he knew her. She was Donnie's friend and Leo's face twisted as if he had bitten into a lemon every time she was there. Indeed, she often wore a citrus pop color, bright tangerine, fluorescent green, and flashy yellow. This is why he called her mentally Lemon Girl. She seemed to have the personality too: sharp and sour, but that could turn sweet mixed with good ingredients. The problem was he wasn't sure they were good ingredients in their house. 

Every time she was around, Raph wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not. Leo and Mikey disliked her, but Donnie was much smoother when she was there.

Raph would take a smooth Donatello over a pissy Leonardo any day. Leo could turn stabby lately and it was concerning, but a mad Donatello was tenfold worse. At least, Leo had regrets.  
Also, April never did anything to upset them, it was their younger brothers being irrational.

They were acting like that as they were forced to deal with the overflow of emotions Don totally lacked-at least, in appearance. 

So Raph had decided April wasn't an enemy but had kept it to himself-as he always did. 

After he dragged the ramen shop customer’s body in the freezer, he had to calm down in his room as he did anytime he had to deal with dead people. She had cornered him in his room and Raph had not known what to do. He couldn’t throw her out, she was Donnie’s friend. He had stayed still on his bed, petting Plum. She would eventually leave and Raph waited until it was over. Resisting was futile and she would get tired. They all stopped at some point waiting for an answer from him.

"Your brother Donnie figured you aren't as lucky as he is to have a friend. He suggested I could be your friend, too."

Uneasiness took him and he glanced down, his full focus on Plum. Did she take him for an idiot? Of course, she was, like everybody, but he knew better. There was no way Don said such a thing.

Because there was no way Don could share his brothers.

"I was wondering if you feel like talking. Have you any worries? Or…"She smiled. "What do you call your kitten?"

Raph debated a moment if he should answer. It wasn’t a dangerous question, but he knew she was trying to bait him into speaking. He wasn’t as smart as his brothers, but he knew things.

"Plum," he finally choked out.

"Plum," she repeated. "It’s cute. Did you choose it or did Don? Plums are purple and your brother is an arrogant guy. He could have decided it for a tribute to himself."

Raph shook his head. 

"I did." He stopped there. He didn’t tell her why he called the kitten Plum. Indeed, plums were purple and Donatello could see it as being for him. But Plum sounded like Plume, the French word for a feather. Plum was very light, and so, it reminded him of Plume, one of the first words he learned when he was in the lab, with his Mom. But French was a language he forgot when he met Don and that one was furious at not understanding it. Anyway, his Mom said to shut up and he will. Raph knew she wasn’t his real Mom, but in his heart, he was always calling her that. 

"You are very good with little animals. I bet you were a good older brother to Don when he was a baby. He told me you were raised together." She chuckled and Raph turned ashen. "I bet he was a whiny baby."

No, Donatello hadn’t been a whiny baby. Should he have ever been a baby, to begin with? Don had been eerily silent when he had gotten out of the artificial womb before snapping his jaw on the arms holding him. Despite being a baby himself, Raph still remembered vividly the heavy and tense atmosphere when the scientists glanced at Donatello. He could be a slow learner, he had an excellent memory. They were all dubious if Don was another failure of the perfect mutant they wanted to make. Why did they want to make mutants, to begin with?

The head of them had called Donatello a success, but when one of the nurses got poisoned and the security camera proved it was the six weeks old Donatello who did it, obviously on purpose, their fate had been decided. It must be said that this nurse was pretty mean, so no one truly cried for her, but it was still troubling, they had declared.

Raph had heard words shared at low voices that the Baron refused them to be eliminated, but that they could be "scientifically interesting" to release them in society.

At the time, Raph was a failure, because his intellect followed the human age. He was 18 months old and strong, but was still at the two or three-word sentence level when Don, a few days old, had been able to do a full sentence. He wasn’t yet potty trained and despite how his "Mom" had pleaded, he and Donnie had been sent to the orphanage because they weren’t exactly as their creators had wanted them to be.

Raph's quiet life had taken a sharp turn. 

At the orphanage, they weren't desired and it was an understatement. It wasn’t long before they called Raph a monster, a freak, a beast. Raph wasn't used to that, but his Mom had told him to be docile to avoid trouble. He got smacked every now and then when he wasn’t fast enough to move or understand.  
  
Donatello didn’t have the same struggles. The orphanage staff acted with the other turtle as the scientist did: with wariness and caution. Raph wasn’t sure what Donnie said or did, but it had been effective. Don was left alone most of the time, allowed to wander in the dark library and no one seemed to pay him any mind. He was even more lonely than himself and Raph couldn’t help but feel stirred by it. Donnie was so little and frail; his eyeglasses must be heavier than him. 

And one day, two or three weeks after their arrival, Raph made a move that he still wondered was a good idea or not.

That day, Don didn’t show up for dinner. It was usual, Don had never been a big eater. No one called for him or searched for him either and Raph heard whispers about “how convenient it would be if it dies.” Raph knew who was called “it” and he stole a slice of bread to give him. 

They had never talked before and with a racing heart, Raph had joined Don in the library. It had asked him to have courage. The library was giving him the chills, the turtle with eyeglasses was giving him the chills and he knew for sure he would get punished for the bread. But his Mom had told him that he had to be on the good side of the other turtle. 

Donnie had been less terrible than he had been worried about. After having been very wary and examining and sniffing the bread slice for a few minutes, to check if Raph was trying to poison him, he had eaten it.

“You are my draft,” Donatello had said flatly. Raph wasn’t sure he understood what a draft was. He didn’t say he didn’t know, for Don to not be discouraged right away to speak with him.“They made me because they failed with you. Then they sent us here because you were stupid and I was sociopathic.” Don shrugged as if it was nonsense. “Do you know what sociopathic means?” Raph had shaken his head and the other mutant had made a smirk of pity. “I would give you the true definition for it: I’m walking my own path, to go where I want to go.”

“You are built like a tank but soft in the head. What I have soft is my shell.” Don had pointed to his shell. “I can get hurt easily. If I had your body, I would have been unstoppable.” He had sighed, regret lacing his voice. “I guess we will have to watch each other's backs from now on.”

Raph had stammered in his mix of French and English with three word sentences that the people here wanted bad things to happen to Donnie. It took him a moment to understand and he had been very annoyed to not understand fully what Raph meant.

“They would be dumb to do that. Our lab is giving them a lot of money to accept and shelter their experiment gone wrong. If I die, they would be pissed.” Donie hadn’t seemed disturbed at all. “Don’t worry,” he had said. “I’m smarter than them. I will protect you and also, get both of us out of here. It is only a matter of time. Be patient.”

Even if they talked, the next day, Don wasn’t acting out of his way with him, neither the following days. He spent time reading and then, stealing watches and cell phones to undo and redoing them in a silent corner of the library. When Raph was overcoming his shyness to drag himself to Donnie, he was always explaining to Raph what he was doing, in a shallow voice, as if he was speaking to himself, but Raph wasn’t fooled; he knew Donnie did it for him to feel less lonely.

Donatello could have been cold, he was still the only ray of warmth Raph got at the orphanage. He was beaten very often; it wasn’t his fault. He was so nervous all the time, he got clumsy bumping into furniture, so got smacked for it. Don could say he was protecting him, he never raised his voice, or intervened at all, when Raph was mistreated. He never even raised his head from his book. Raph never complained to Don, though. He refused to drag him into that in case, Don, much more fragile, got hurt. Anyway, the leather of his skin was very thick and he felt less the pinch and hits than it looked from the outside.

But the following day one of the staff guys touched his pee-pee, the employee was found dead, his neck broken down the stairs. It had been classed like an accident but Raph knew it wasn’t.

“Don’t let people touch you!”Don had said a few days later, without even glancing up from his book. “They want to have sex with you and sex with children is wrong. If someone touches you again here or elsewhere, tell me. I will deal with it,” he had said calmly. 

This is the time he guessed sociopathic could mean killing people. Don was two years-old and had already killed two people, from what he was aware of. If being a sociopath was a bad thing, Don was only that way with humans.   
  
Raph wasn’t ignorant; he knew to kill people was bad, but he hadn’t said a thing to Donnie. His mom told him to stay on Don’s good side and well, Don did it out of love for him. Also, Don had promised to get him out of there and somehow Raph already knew at that time that when Don promised something he was very serious about keeping his word. 

“I bet he wasn’t cute at all,” April said, kicking Raph back into reality. 

She was wrong. Once he had stopped being scared of him he had found that Donnie had been cute with his wide eyes, that gleamed with an intelligence his own eyes will never have. And Don was so smart, having an explanation for everything. 

At night, he was reading stories and books to Raph. Raphael didn’t understand all of it, but he loved Donnie’s voice. And he knew Don often picked books for him. There’s no way Don was into Princess tales, where maidens in distress waited for a charming Prince to save them. But those stories have an appeal for Raph. He wasn’t that brave and he was certainly not bold, but he was strong and would take the beating for Donnie, anytime. He wouldn’t dare to call him his Princess, thus.

Donatello was scrawny and fragile, and Raph felt he mattered to someone and had a goal: to watch after Donnie’s shell. Don was also watching his back and Raph found that for once, he was on equal footing with someone. Even more he felt special since Don cared for no one except him. The awareness of that fact was making everything more bearable. For him, Don was sweet, well the best he could be. From what he knew, Don never acknowledged any other kids. He was slightly less cold with the other mutant children but not to the point of speaking with them. 

He had felt special and so like less of a monster.

He knew Don wasn’t what humans qualified as normal or required, but still, his so strong will had something compelling. Raph had been drawn to Donatello more and more and maybe those feelings, mixing admiration and need to protect would have grown into something else if one day, two years after they arrived at the orphanage, Don hadn’t come to join him with something weird on his face: jubilation, Raph thought it was called.

“There’s another turtle like us,” he had said, his breathing uneven. “I saw him at the canteen. I searched for his files. He is the same age as me, but doesn’t come from our lab and you know what, Raph?” It was disturbing to see Donatello with something like enthusiasm.

Raph knew the turtle Donnie was talking about. He wondered why Don was so excited about it. Maybe because she was pretty? She was a true cutie, that was for sure, with her velvety black irises and the vivid scarlet stripes on her minty green face. She had a very bright smile and seemed very nice. Raph knew that boys could be interested in girls, he had seen it in the Disney movie he managed to catch a glimpse of. But Donnie wasn’t an average boy; he was sociopathic whatever it truly meant. Since when did normal things interest Donatello? He thought he knew Donatello well, after them being together everyday for two years. 

“He talks and he can read!” Don exclaimed, his eyes blazing with a new fire and the fact that the other turtle was male wasn’t blowing Raph’s mind, too busy to struggle with another harsher realization. Raph knew it already; he just passed into the second position in Donatello’s priority. The other turtle talked and read, when Raph couldn’t. He felt as empty and torn as when he got separated from his Mom. 

“Humans seem to love him. That’s good for us,” he had explained. “If he is endearing, it could help us to get out of here. I observed him: He is smart and has survivor skills. We need him.”

So it was only Don thinking of using this boy or girl turtle to get both of them out of there. But he felt it wasn’t only that soon enough. Don wasn’t staying in the library anymore all day. He was spying and stalking the canteen turtle. 

Raph would have wanted to tell Donnie to just go speak to the turtle, if he liked him that much, but it would have meant making a very long sentence.

Then, one day, Donnie had told him he was about to get adopted. Many times before, the orphanage had tried to get rid of Donnie, but that time, it seemed it was for real.

“The man is coming tomorrow. I listened to the entire conversation. He has a Ramen shop. This is a very cheap food store,” he had explained to Raph who never heard of it. “I will make sure he takes you too and also, Leo.”

Raph had wanted to say that Leo seemed to be happy at the orphanage and so maybe would not want to leave, but he didn’t. It wasn’t what Don wanted to hear and Raph had grown to know that when Donnie wanted something, it was no use to try to oppose him. Anyway, Don had read the question on his face.

“I won’t leave him here,” he told Raph in a quiet, but very firm voice. “He is mine. I want him.” 

That made Raph worried a bit. If they both belonged to each other, would he be alone and unwanted again? Don seemed to perceive his sorrow. For someone never happy or sad, Don was good at catching other’s feelings. Raph’s, anyway. 

“Don’t worry. Leo has a baby. The baby will come with us. It will give you someone to care for,” he had pretended, as if Raph wasn’t caring for him, already.

Don never wondered if Raph wanted to follow or not as he didn’t ask for Leonardo’s opinion either. He had decided for them and it was hard to protest when it was obvious Donatello was positive to do it for their own sake.

Everything went as Donnie had said it would and when Raph met the desolate gaze of the rat man, full of pity and with not a hint of meanness, thought everything would be alright. They all left in their new father's old van and as the biggest and oldest, Raph got to sit on the seat next to the driver seat. When they had arrived at the ramen shop, Raph had found the place okay looking. But that had obviously not been Don’s opinion. 

Donatello wasn’t even reaching Splinter’s waist and he looked at the whole place with jaded eyes as if he was a 4000 years old soul that escaped a pyramid.

“I will have to take charge,” he had said contemptuously and at the same moment, baby Mikey cried. Still today, Raph was sure it had been a bad omen that Mikey cried when Don declared such a thing. “Come, Leon. You will help me get the place sanitary. Give the baby to Raph.”

“My name is Leo,” Leonardo had objected with a soft voice, but already obeying. “You can call me Lea, too. I don’t mind.” He put Mikey very carefully in Raph’s hands, giving him a bright, encouraging smile and Raph had melted, both from the trust Leo put in him and also about how Mikey was the cutest thing ever, already sucking on his thumb. He had sat, with a big grin split on his face, having never had any toy, much less such an adorable baby to take care of. It made up for the fact that already, Don was choosing Leo over him. 

“That was the name other people gave you.” Don had stated, like it was a reason enough to not use it, the distinct emphasis on the “other people” name obvious. “You aren’t their slave, anymore.” 

Leonardo was smart; he had decided it wasn’t worth a fight. Leon was probably pleasing him better than Lea and well, he was looking on the bright side, like it was a new adventure. He didn’t ask if not being the orphanage slave anymore meant he was someone else’s. 

Very quickly Raph had understood why Don had been so utterly fascinated by Leo. Beyond his prettiness and the fact he was smarter than Raph and less clumsy, Leonardo was very submissive, eager to please, to be taught, with a nurturing and loving nature. He could voice his admiration for Donatello in a way Raph’s couldn’t and he had everything Don himself never had. When Don asked Leo to help him with something related to the shop or the household; he knew he would be satisfied by the result. When Leo received praise from Don, his eyes shone with adoration and Raph could tell Don was living for it even if he stayed stone faced. The atmosphere charged with electricity to the point Raph turned flustered, but it was like no one else noticed it.

In fact, for a few years, it had been quite peaceful in their home. Papa Splinter was kind. He wasn’t very present, though and Raph knew why. The poor guy was already feeling like a fifth wheel in his own household, totally overpowered by a mutant kid. 

Raph wasn't blaming Don, either. He knew his brother was working so hard only for them. At night, sometimes, he heard Donnie whimpering in his sleep. Donatello was having nightmares, where they were separated and sent away he guessed by some muttered words he caught. Raph was making sure to cuddle him closer, using the opportunity Don was out of it to show him affection. 

Who appeased his nightmares, now? Don was sleeping alone. Donatello had made him a terrace to have a place to be at ease, but where was Donnie’s place to feel peace? His office?Was he comforted by the humming sound of the computer and the view numbers?

He wasn't sure if Leo was aware of Don's nightmares. During the day, his brother in blue was doing his best and Raph felt very guilty to have regretted that Leo had tagged along. Leo was a very comforting turtle, kind and patient, too much for Raph to be jealous of. And Leonardo was even more loving for Mikey and Mikey had been the sunbeam of Raph’s life.

“How is your brother Leo?” April asked. “I didn’t get to talk with him. Is he always so aggressive?”

No, Leonardo wasn’t aggressive their first ten years or so at the ramen shop. It was quite the opposite, acting like everyone’s doting mother and something else entirely with Donatello. But April’s question reminded Raph of Don’s questions, around the same time Leonardo started to change. He wasn’t aggressive, just thirsty for something other than studying, working in a ramen shop, taking care of Mikey and meeting Donatello’s standards. 

High school for Don had meant more liberty for them.

At some point, Don had left to go to a special school-was it a school for sociopaths? Raph had felt guilty to not be too sad after getting used to his absence. Don loved to learn and to be rich and successful and so, he was happy Don got closer to his dream. Raph wasn’t as nervous anymore, getting along and comfortable now, with Papa, and Leo and Baby. He was feeling like he was in a real family. Donatello was their strict father. Strict, but never violent. Mikey got spanked a few times, but it was more symbolic than a real punishment. Still, Mikey cried a lot, Leo was nowhere to be seen and Raph felt like dying.

But he knew Don was pale as well, almost sick of himself as he rather softly smacked Mikey’s butt on his lap. Physical punishment must remind him of the orphanage and Raph’s rough time. Don didn’t want to go as low as those “humans.” But Donatello punished them for their “sake.” Mikey had to know rules and to follow them for him to not get in trouble. It was for Mikey’s well-being and them all, because if Mikey was in trouble, Leo would be, and then, it would turn into a domino game, Don had patiently explained one evening while playing dominos. A misstep could be fatal, he had said, knocking the first black rectangle. Raph nodded, listening and he supposed that was why Don spoke more to him than his brothers: Raph couldn’t talk really and so, he couldn't argue, debate, protest, even at Don’s more radical ideas. 

Raph knew Don under his cold layer was genuinely caring for them. It showed how hard he worked and how he was always making sure that everything was paid for them to have enough to be fed and stay out of trouble. In other circumstances, Donatello would have stayed with them. Raph knew him enough to know to leave his brothers behind didn’t please Donnie a bit. He did it in the hope of a better future for all of them. 

When they were alone, sometimes Don turned dreamy. It was something he didn’t do with the others, only with Raph and the biggest turtle lived for this moment where he felt special. 

"One day, we will all be rich and happy. We will buy a huge cabin in the country. We will have our own lake and Mikey would be able to ice skate in winter and we will watch him from a hot bath while listening to all your favorite crooner songs. You will be healed, then."

Raph knew Donnie was serious. He always was. But why must the ride to get there be filled with thorns? Raph listened to Leo reading old tales to Mikey and supposed it was indeed true that climbing up was always hard. But in Leo's stories, people were either good or evil and Raph wanted to ask:

Can someone be both? A very even split between evilness or goodness?

If he heals in the cabin, could Don too from that icyness he seemed to choke in?

But still, Don in school was like a vacation. Papa was more present and Mikey was more clingy, even Leonardo seemed to breathe slightly better. They had felt guilty to feel freer without the breadwinner because despite this coldness, they all loved him. So, when Donatello came back, he was celebrated. Leo was dressing Raph with his best clothes and was making him practice a sentence or two before trying to prepare a good dinner. When he arrived, Don would pass over them in review as Napoleon would have done and he stopped before Raph the last.

“Let’s work on your reading and writing while waiting for dinner,” Don proposed everytime. Raph knew that he should be happy Don spent so much time with him, before being with anyone else, but the fact was that over the years, Don started to be affected by his slow progress. After forty minutes, Donnie's patience was already running thin despite his efforts to hide it. Don wasn't used to failure and Raph actually felt sorry for him. When Raph reached 16 years old it was obvious Raph wasn’t going to heal enough to talk about business management any time soon, Don jumped to his real concern, the one he knew he could have power over.

“When I was gone, did Leo bring some friends over? Were they boys or girls?”

This is the moment Raph was glad Don knew the limits of his speech. Something was making him deeply uncomfortable with the questions. He didn't know what Donnie expected and didn't want to get Leo, so nice, in trouble. At the time, he wasn’ sure why Donatello asked such a thing. The first time Don had asked, Raph thought it was only a way to try to start a conversation or for Don to distract his mind to not snap at him for his slow learning, but one day he had understood it was serious. It was the end of June and Don had to stay a few weeks more in school despite Summer for some advanced classes with his homeroom teacher. 

"Blue is almost 15 years old, it's summer and he has more free time, he has to have some friends," Don had insisted. His voice was different, deeper, huskier than before, but Raph still loved the sound of it. “He is acting more rebellious, lately. I don’t know what has gotten into him.”

The voice, the change of behavior, it was puberty, Don had explained. Don himself had changed, growing more confident and cold and oddly, with an ever better hold on his feelings. Raph went through puberty as well as he started having weird dreams. It was hard to explain them, so he had to draw them and show them to Donatello. His brother had sighed a lot, but had explained it to him. It had been awkward, despite how calm and simple Don had made the effort to be. The bottom line of it was to play with himself, if he wanted to but to never touch anyone else. Out of family, no one could be trusted. It was obvious Don couldn’t imagine he was featured in Raph’s fantasies and he would not even allow someone else’s subconscious to linger on Leonardo. Don just forgot Mikey again. Sometimes, Raph was kind of relieved Donnie forgot about him. There was no way he could protect Leo from Don’s weird way of loving, but he hoped to spare Mikey the best he could. 

Don had made it pretty clear to not accept being touched. The way Don had insisted about it, Raph had understood very bad things would happen to the person touching him. Reminiscence of the orphanage guy came to him. 

This is why when Mikey touched him out of nowhere, Raph had been scared. Donatello loved Mikey, but he loved Raph as well and in order to protect one and discipline the other, he could do terrible things. Raph wasn’t sure he could love Don enough to forgive him and side with him if he was too harsh on Mikey. Since the day he took Mikey in his arms, he had been compelled to protect him the best he could. 

Leonardo didn’t need as much protection. He could stand for himself and anyway, if Don became aware of someone hurting Leo, they wouldn’t have the time to write down their last wills.

The runaway had been the last straw. Don had been overwhelmed by bad feelings for days and it was written in the sky that it would pay back badly. The bracelet was only the first step. 

He felt it: if Don went comfortable enough with his dark side to have put a lock on Leonardo, his favorite, his only weakness, Mikey would get much more than a mere spanking if Don knew he had touched Raph. Raph could be a big boy and Don could love both of them, it wasn’t a matter Don usually joked about, and now, less than ever. 

Leo and Mikey were pushing Donatello’s limits for quite a while, right now and even, if Raph could understand them, he wasn’t approving of it.

He certainly didn’t approve of them running away. He knew it was hard to live with someone who never listened and was as hard-headed as Don was, but running away was endangering Leo and Mikey and breaking his and Don’s hearts.

Mikey would say Don has no heart and Raph was Donnie’s puppet, but as someone barely living by himself, Raph observed a lot. He wasn’t an idiot, he wasn’t fast to learn, because he wasn’t in a hurry for Don to have too many expectations for him. Anyway, he would never beat Leo in Don’s heart. He wasn’t even aiming for it anymore: his cat, his terrace, Mikey’s cuddles and food was what made him happy. But he wanted his brothers to be happy as well.

They were acting recklessly because they didn’t know Don at all. They didn’t know his soft side, but they never saw the terrible one, either. Don hid both of them behind a neutral, polite voice and with a cold, painted mask But Raph knew that would be a dangerous game. Donatello had been very afraid to have lost both of them. They should have known Don thought of them as belonging to him and Don couldn’t stand someone touching his stuff without his permission. He never quite understood what Don wanted to achieve with how he felt for Leonardo, but Raph was sure that it wasn’t in Donnie’s plans for Leo to ever leave. Mikey couldn’t leave either, because it would break Leo’s heart; the dominos game, again.

Fear was a feeling Don must have been very mad to experience, even less with the stinging humiliation to have been robbed by Mikey, and then, ignored by Leonardo.

Don hadn’t killed anyone, but Raph had been very afraid like he had been for a long time. At some point, if Mikey hadn’t picked up his phone, Raph was dreading that Don would have shot himself. He knew he had a gun in his office. April had stayed with him all the time, blocking his way to Don’s office and Raph had been very worried. At least, she had informed him of the situation.

But what did she want, now? Donnie knew him too well to be interested in whatever Raph could say. 

“I want to be yours and your brother's friend. I never sold Don’s kidney. that is your brother Leo overreacting and being paranoid,” she had exclaimed with a roll of her eyes. “Man, you should all go smell some fresh air in the park, a few times a week and chill. Maybe smoke weed,” she proposed. Was she really Don’s friend, he wondered. She didn’t know him at all. 

"Did a friend come over when I wasn't here? What were they doing? Smoking? I found some rolling paper in his pants." Donatello didn’t drop it. Raph knew Don was only worried for Leo but that day, it was going overboard. Donatello was a new level of tense despite how calm his voice sounded. Raph knew Don was feeling ashamed of himself, it showed by how nervously he was clenching his fists, but it was like Don couldn’t help it. When he was with Raph, he was more comfortable voicing his feelings, because Don was more sensitive than he thought himself to be.  
  
"Shake or nod." Donatello had leaned his slender body over him, gazing at him intensely. "If you don't move your head, it’s called rebellion, Raph. Rebel’s don’t get sweets."

No sweets was Don's usual punishment for him. Raphael never tried to see if there could be something more serious than that.

Raph had still hesitated before nodding. Leo has friends. It was a fact. He was kinda popular at his school, for a mutant. And his friends seemed cool, mostly that tall guy that was always brushing Leo’s shell with a smile as bright as Leo’s. He was on his basketball team, Leo had said. Mikey seemed excited and jealous when the guy went home. It only happened four times in three weeks. But Raph couldn’t deny it. What if Mikey told Don or even Leo let slip something in his ignorance that he was forbidden to have too close friends? Then, Don would find out Raph lied to him. Don could love him, but it wouldn't save Raph from a hard consequence. Being lied to was probably at the height of Don’s “reason to punish” book, and Raph didn’t want to be in trouble. 

Friends were still allowed at the time, probably because Don didn’t think of forbidding before.  
Maybe it had been Leo’s only youthful summer. A few sunny weeks, when he could smoke, play basketball and get his shell touched by other people who weren’t job-related. Before Donatello put an abrupt end to it. 

“Was it a boy? Did they go to Leo’s room? Did they kiss?” Don had wanted to know, his sharp eyes studying him. “You know how I warned you about touching was a bad thing. Did they touch that way?”

Raph didn't want to remember…and he shook his head, but it was too late. It was April in front of them, and Raph was years too late. Why was he always too slow?

"What is happening here?" a voice asked.

Don's entry startled them. April stared at him, unimpressed above her eyeglasses.

"It's Raph's turn," she quietly replied. “His psychotherapy. Remember?"

Donatello wasn't as furious as Raph was scared he would be. Something was off about him but Raph couldn’t nail it.

"I told you Raph was fine!" Donatello snapped, but slightly distracted. He was rubbing his hand like he wanted to grab something invisible and choke the life out of it. "Go home! Mikey is busy, I put Leo in bed."

Don stopped himself as something like hunger flashed in his brown eyes.

Raph had no idea what Donnie did, but by how pleased with himself he seemed to be, it seemed a bad omen. But if Leo was finally sleeping after days of insomnia, wandering like a ghost in their house, it was a good change. Poor Leo couldn’t try to find a way out, even at nighttime, there were none. His fate had been sealed at the moment Don’s eyes had landed on him. 

Don gripped April's hand and pulled her out, in a hurry to free Raphael from her presence. Raph nuzzled Plum’s fur. He hoped she wouldn’t ever come back. There were memories he didn’t want to bring back.

***


	20. Preview of next chapter: Testing Leo's escaping skills, art by B0xfish




	21. Pretty Tied Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go see B0xFish art from the previous chapter!

In the privacy of his luxurious room-more a golden cage than ever, Leo allowed himself to have a tantrum, ransacking everything in it and mostly everything that had been a gift from Donatello. That insane motherfucker! Leo glanced around at the useless precious items Don loved to shower him with. Since he had noticed that years of spoiling him hadn’t been enough to bond Leo to him, Donatello was now using violence. He pulled down the curtain in one jerky movement and the pole made a smashing sound Don must have heard from his office over that girl’s moans. 

And that son of a bitch had dared to comment on his clothes. He walked with great strides to his wardrobe or rather dressing room, pulling down the fancy pieces of clothing, tearing apart dress shirts randomly. 

“Dude, maybe you should not…” Mikey said, his voice shallow. His eyes were widened in fear and Leo hated that. Mikey was afraid of their own brother and it was so wrong, but still, the way they had been raised. “He’ll be even more pissed at you.” Mikey released a shaky breath. “And who knows what he might do next?”

Without a second thought, Leo smashed the Ming vase down on a table, and it shattered in pieces on the ground.

“I don’t care!” Leonardo roared. “I’m not his doll! Does he think he can stop me and play with me like his puppet? Just watch me, Donatello!” 

He looked at his own reflection in the huge mirror filling a whole wall in his dressing room. He didn’t recognize himself; his gaze was the one of a wild animal, tagged and sold to a private zoo for the entertainment of the wealthy. 

He threw a jade figurine against the mirror.

“Fuck you! I hate you!” he yelled, even if he didn’t know who he was addressing. Don or himself to have been such a naive moron to believe he could change and there was something still not rotten in him? Probably both. 

Disgusted, he returned to his room and was about to tear the bedsheets apart, when Mikey snatched his hands.

“Please,” he begged, his eyes full of tears, squeezing Leo’s hands. “Stop. It isn't worth it...you know...He has mental issues, well, we have all and...this is all my fault.” 

Mikey dropped his hands and sat on the bed, his expression thoughtful and remorseful.

“Many times, you asked me to go back. If we had returned yesterday, instead of going to Leatherhead, maybe he would not have snapped,” Mikey’s voice was laced with regrets. “I wanted to keep you for myself a little longer and now you’re the one paying for it. Like...that time.”

Leonardo didn’t need Mikey to explain to know what Mikey referred to. 

“This has nothing to do with that.”Leo used his firm voice to be sure Mikey wouldn’t fall into a guilt trip. He didn’t want to hear Mikey speak about “that time” Leo tried to repress the memory of. “We could have come back yesterday, it would have been the same. This,” he exclaimed, waving the bracelet under Mikey’s snout. “You think this is the kind of shit you can buy in any shop you walk in? He asked for it days ago, if not months ago!” Leo threw his arms in his air. He still couldn’t believe it. 

Don didn’t only put a tracker on him, he put a fucking taser bracelet on him! Just to have Leo more at his mercy! Like he didn’t control them enough!

“This is my fault,”Mikey insisted. “We messed with him.” Leo started pacing the room, fuming with so much rage, he felt like choking. Now, as the cherry on the top, Mikey was distressed. “We both know he has a screw loose and he turns even crazier when it’s about you!” the youngest mutant continued, ashamed of himself. “I should have not been selfish and claimed you for me!” Mikey hid his face in his hand. “I knew he was a jealous, possessive bastard and still, I provoked him! I rubbed in his face we had sex, knowing he would be mad as fuck, because he loves y…”

“Don’t!” Leo snapped. 

He walked toward Mikey, and gently, despite his uneven breathing and his face still flushed with anger, he hushed Mikey with his hand. “Don’t,” he said softly. He refused to hear that word because he was done hoping for it. “You watch too many movies, Mikey. He doesn't love me. This isn’t love, it’s enslavement.” Again he showed his wrist circled in metal. “And anyway, I don't love him either. How could I?” he retorted fiercely, meeting Mikey’s dubious gaze. How could a doubt still linger in Mikey’s mind, when Don treated Leo like this? Indeed, Donatello didn’t love him at all, and neither did he. Mikey has a marshmallow heart and that was all. 

Leonardo dropped his hand from Mikey’s mouth and stepped back, returning to pacing. “I know he was worried and we deserved a lecture or whatever. But this, this…” Leonardo still couldn’t believe Donatello went that far to have control over him. “I know he said he does it because he cares for us.” He uttered a dark, sarcastic chuckle. “He cares for us like we are his slaves he spent money on!”

Suicide had never been something Leo had envisaged, but suddenly it seemed for him a possible avenue. He had a knife, he could commit seppuku like a samurai did or just slice his wrists like in Roman times. He had a weird mental image: Don preparing Leo’s corpse, to turn his body into a piece of art, he could exhibit in his room. Leonardo giggled nervously, somewhere he knew it could be possible and that was so disturbing. Mikey cast him a concerned look, not understanding what Leo found so funny. 

“It’s so stupid, he could get so much more from us, from me, by being sweet,” Leo muttered, running a hand down his face. “This isn’t like it's too complicated to understand.”

“You know he would buy you a shitload of stuff to ask for your forgiveness.” Mikey seemed sick and he dropped on Leo’s bed again. Indeed, it was true. They both know that Don’s anger fits were short-lived. It was like Don couldn’t feel that strongly for more than a few minutes, before returning to his cold, placid self. Then, when Donnie’s anger dimmed, he would want to show it was forgotten and forgiven, by spoiling them. It was his usual pattern, with Leo specifically. But Leonardo wanted nothing, except to have that bracelet removed, but he felt it in his core; it wouldn’t be any time soon. He had seen how much Donnie’s eyes were blazing with ecstasy after he put it on. Don had enjoyed his power trip too much for him to renounce this way to control Leonardo. 

“I’m gonna tell him it wasn’t true.” Mikey stood up, determined. “We rented a room with twin beds, had no sex and we never spoke of us being exclusive. I will tell him it was a joke, that I’m truly sorry for it and all the stuff I did. I will also tell him that you insisted we come back to not anger him more and I refused. I’m…”

Leonardo got close to him and cupped Mikey’s cheek, before kissing him tenderly. 

“There’s no use, and it would be a lie.” Mikey was so sweet, so loving. Mikey wasn’t into coercing people. Leo knew that in a way, Mikey had indeed manipulated him, but Mikey’s schemes were ones of a child, and he couldn’t help but play along, because it was kinda moving. It was nothing like the enslavement Donatello made him feel. Leo yielded to Mikey to please him, because he cherished him. If Don was acting only 25% as sweet as Mikey, Leo would be much more eager to please him. 

“But..”Mikey protested weakly.

When they were children, Don was already as cold as an iceberg, but at the time, Leo felt truly respected. Donnie needed him and trusted him and if he was treating Leonardo differently from their other siblings, then in a way Leo felt proud about it. Leo was the only one who knew where the cash Don hid was and he was the first one Don allowed to touch Raph. Cash and Raphael were Don’s most precious treasures and Leonardo was the only one capable of watching over them.   
Somewhere after they started that stupid business, Don took it for granted and treated him more and more like an employee. 

Mikey was looking at him with pleading eyes and it reminded him of the visit at Leatherhead’s place. Don had confessed being attracted to someone and being distraught by how dominant he was in his dream. Don had explained how hurting the one he loved was scaring him. It was probably the only time Don had asked for help and put himself in such a vulnerable position. What if instead of a pervert, Don’s homeroom teacher would have been an honest and normal person, that would have kindly encouraged Donnie to speak of his feelings to his crush, instead of repressing them and masturbating the attraction away? As if Donatello wasn’t already repressing everything in such an unhealthy way! Leo scowled, almost regretting he couldn’t kill the guy twice. 

He stopped a moment, a little dizzy from the thought. Killing people was now more and more natural to him. Of course, the rape had changed him and made him more fierce and agressive, but it was disturbing how blood-thirsty he was turning. Who could have guessed that he had once been a sweet and quiet mutant, just happy to peel potatoes and never asking for anything in return?

If anything, Donatello changed him more than the gang rape; he changed all of them, turning them into his image, like God creating Adam. They were all now twisted individuals making a living of wrecking people’s lives. It was sickening.

When did Don go that bad? Leo felt suddenly remorseful. He should have insisted that Don refuse to go to that school. He was positive that it was there that what was salvageable in Donatello had been irremediably lost. If Don and Leo had gone to the same school, maybe the affection they had for each other would have lasted? they felt at first would have lasted. Then no crocodile teacher would have perverted Donnie’s young mind and maybe Don would have told him how he felt.

Leo had no idea of what he would have done with Donnie’s confession, honestly. He bet he would have been in shock. But there was no way he would have turned him down. They would have learned to experiment where these feelings could lead them together and then, Don would have become warmer. It was the reason he had been so weak to Don. Leo had hoped for so long to change him, to turn him less bitter with display’s of care and love. And yet, Don was the one that influenced him, turning him into a merciless assassin. How ironic.

“Leo?”Mikey asked, worry evident on his face.

Leonardo kicked himself out of it. Mikey was traumatized enough and it was no use dwelling on the past. Leo needed to reassure him and also, convince him it wasn’t his fault at all. Sometimes, he almost regretted having brought Mikey along with him from the orphanage. If he hadn’t, maybe Mikey would have gone to college and played baseball with friends, instead of taking drugs to forget he had to commit a few crimes before going to bed?

“Don’t feel selfish to ask for my love. You have it already, because you are loveable, Mikey and voice your feelings properly. It shows that I raised you,” Leo concluded, with a sad smile. “But going to see Donnie and taking the blame for yourself would only get you a punishment and wouldn’t lift mine. I’m the asshole,”Leo made air quotes, “that dared to ignore his phone calls.” He pulled his phone from his inside pocket. Indeed, even if Don was a lunatic jerk, he had left Leo plenty of opportunities to avoid such a harsh punishment. Perhaps if Leo would have taken one of the many phone calls or replied to one of the fifty or so texts Don wouldn’t have snapped so badly. But as he had pointed out to Mikey, the bracelet must have been on Don’s mind for a while. Maybe he had ordered it a few months ago and used the runaway as an excuse to lock him down. Mikey taking the blame would be pointless and also, Leo was too worried of what could happen to his little brother.

“Anyway,” he snarled, his face twisted with distaste. He put his phone back in his inner jacket pocket. “He is busy with his human friend.”

"Dude." Mikey rolled his eyes. "You're jealous for nothing." Leo glared at him. As if he was jealous of such a lame human girl. She wasn’t even attractive in the slightest and she was an opportunist bitch much worse than Donatello himself. Anyway, he had no reason to be jealous of who Don shoved his cock in. It didn’t bother him at all, but Mikey wasn't deterred. "Even if he fucked her-and I doubt he did- he is so, so, more into you…"

Leo snorted derisively and walked to the window, opening it. A new idea had just popped into his mind. Maybe it was bluff. Maybe the bracelet was fake and it was April who gave the idea to Donnie. Maybe that was the reason she was there. Donatello could be weird and controlling, but so far, he had never gone so low that he hurt them physically. Spanking Mikey a few times a year didn't count. Don did kill someone a few days ago, but it was probably his first time, considering how clumsy he had been. And he only did so because he had a snuff recording to broadcast. Leonardo had hit Don a few times in the past, but except for a slap-that Don had been very ashamed from afterwards, Donnie never fought back.

The bracelet could just be a mind game and maybe Don wasn’t as crazy as they thought. To have been Don’s fool for thirty minutes or so, was a reality easier to stomach than him going absolutely mad.

"He would never put a bracelet on April, because she is like everyone else, he doesn’t care. I know it's still insane and he needs therapy," Mikey agreed. "But perhaps you should see it as a love confession...What are you doing?" he exclaimed in panic.

"I'm gonna test out this baby!" Leo replied quietly, ready to jump out the window. “You know how Don is, all bark but no real bite. What if it’s fake? What if he tricked us thinking it was dangerous but it’s harmless?”

Uncertainty floated on Mikey’s features.

“Dunno” he mumbled. “But I wouldn’t test it, if I were you. I have a very bad feeling about this.”

“That is exactly how he wants us to feel. I won’t be his fool,” Leo said and without waiting for an answer, he jumped down, leaping graciously into the alley next to their shop. 

“Leo!” Mikey rushed to the window, leaning over. “Don’t!” Pure fear was written on Mikey’s face, but Leo stood up, and cast him a bright smile. 

“You see? I’m fine. That jerk just lied to us” Leo was so, so relieved. It wasn’t only the electric shock he dreaded but the fact that Don had crossed the line of sanity. He had feared that Don-and their bond-was definitively unsalvageable.

But Mikey seemed very dubious. 

“Okay, but I still think it’s better safe than sorry and you should come back. Come on, Leo,” Mikey instead. “Don’t wait to find out how crazy he is!”

Mikey was still afraid for him and it was such a sad and troubling thought that Leo wanted to comfort him by proving to him that Donatello was less a lunatic than Mikey believed. It was because Mikey had been too young and hadn’t known Donatello before he turned so wicked.

“I have a craving for blueberry scones. I’m going to the bakery,” Leo replied. “Want something, Mike?”

“Please don’t,” Mikey begged again. “I’m sure it’s a genuine taser bracelet. Being half-assed about you isn’t like him.”

He waved his hand to Mikey, determined to show him he was wrong. As if Mikey knew Don better than him. 

“He fucking asked me to butcher a guy to stuff dumpling!”Mikey screamed out, as a last warning, not giving a damn about shouting such a thing in the middle of the day.

Mikey counted them, Leo made exactly five steps before freezing and falling to the ground with a seizure as the horn alarm rang.

Mikey didn’t even hesitate and jumped to the ground to join his brother.

“Leo!” he cried out. "Fuck!"

The moment he reached for his brother, Leo's body turned stiff, then still and Mikey pulled him closer to the building to make the alarm stop.

"Leo! Leo!" Mikey was calling his name in panic, taking his vitals as Don himself showed them. Every six months, he forced them into First Aid training.

Leonardo was aware of his name being called, but was in too much shock-no pun intended-to say a word yet. 

“I’m fine,” he finally managed to mutter. The realization dawned on him. Don WAS that crazy. 

At the exact same moment, his phone vibrated and the ache was still so vivid in his bones that he thought the electricity was running down his body again. Mikey pulled out the phone.

“This fucker,” Mikey said, livid from fear and anger. “He knows you disobeyed.” He typed on the phone and his eyes widened. He stared at Leonardo in disbelief. “I can’t believe it,” he said flatly. “But let’s go inside.”

Mikey helped him stand up and walk back inside the shop. Raph was there and in one wide stride, he was putting the kitten into Mikey’s arms and carrying Leo bridal style to his room. Raph was silent, but Leo could hear his heart pounding in his broad chest. Leo wanted to tell Raph to put him down, that he could walk just fine, but he was still too speechless for that. The realization was weighing too heavily on him. Don had dared, and Leo now was a prisoner. 

In his room, Raph lay him down carefully, the look on his face the same broken one he had for wounded animals or a dying flower. Then, he looked desolate at the state of Leo’s room. With a sigh, he started picking up the broken stuff.

“Won’t you say anything?”Mikey glared at Raph. “How can side with Don after what he did to Leo?” He put down the kitten next to Leo on the bed and turned his wrath toward Raphael. With his tiny fists, he started to pummel Raph’s chest. It was the highest he could reach.

“How dare you side with that psychotic asshole?”Mikey cried out. “You are strong and he loves you! You can stand against him! How could you let him do this!” 

To unleash like this on Raph was very uncalled for. It was evident Raph was feeling deeply sorry for the situation. Raphael wasn’t the one who did something wrong: he didn’t run away, he didn’t ignore Donnie’s calls and he didn’t order the bracelet. Leo guessed Mikey was also venting his own frustration at having been rejected. 

Raph was taking Mikey’s punches without wincing, probably thinking he deserved them or not feeling them. But at some moment, he lifted Mikey with a single hand, pulling him into a hug and Mikey burst in tears. 

“Big Red loves Orange and Purple loves Blue,” Raph stammered, rocking Mikey in his arms like he was still a baby and nuzzling his neck. For Raph, anyway, Mikey would always be, Leo supposed. The size difference between them seemed even more evident today. But the love comment made him turn his head in disgust. Don didn’t know a single thing about love. “Purple and big Red were very, very scared,” he finished. It was rare he spoke that much and he released a shaky sigh. 

Leo knew what Raph meant. He was trying to find an excuse for Don, to explain that fear led Don that far. But Leo wasn’t sure he could find enough love in him to try to understand and forgive. Raphael had been genuinely distressed and for that Leo was sorry, but for the first time of his life he wondered if Raphael's limited speech was more due to his fear of Don than the trauma he had supposedly lived through at the orphanage. After all, Raph knew Don since this crazy motherfucker’s birth. Maybe he knew all along how wicked and terrifying Don could be.

“What was in the message the mad man sent?” Leo asked without looking at them, staring at his wall. He just remembered Mikey’s weird expression.

Mikey freed himself from Raphael’s embrace and jumped to the floor.

“He reminded us we have a contract to do. Me, specifically, and sent us the details. He also asked if the bracelet was too tight and said to use an alcohol wipe under it for hygiene purposes,” he replied, his tone clipped, laced with cold, powerless anger.

Leo closed his eyes, feeling sick. How dare Donatello inquire on the tightness of the bracelet after having shocked him like that?

“I will take care of it,” Mikey exclaimed. “I will make sure that place is burned to the ground and that this monster is satisfied. Don’t sweat it, Leo! And rest!”

In his voice, Leonardo could decipher the rage, but also, the anguish. Michelangelo must think that if Leo, the one that Donatello supposedly loved that much, could be punished so strongly, then failure would only bring him an even harsher one.

He didn’t even reply and drank the water handed to him. It was bitter and Leo guessed Mikey crushed some sleeping pill into it. It was only 1:00 pm, but his soul felt too heavy for him to continue with the day. He closed his eyes, disillusioned, but a part of him still hoped that tomorrow, Don would be back to his senses, turn remorseful and maybe he would only keep the tracker operational. But he had been too hurt to let his hopes go too high.

*****  
The next morning a feeling of dread and anxiety slammed into him the moment he opened his eyes. He had a vague memory that his sleep had been plagued by awful dreams. His tongue thick, he reached to the water glass on his nightstand, trying to not wake Mikey, curled up against him. 

Mikey and Raph went on the mission alone he remembered and he wondered how it went. Not because he gave a flying fuck about Donnie’s business, but he hoped Mikey and Raph made up. They didn’t need more dissension between them. Their family was already enough of a mess.

He drank the water, but his throat still felt raspy so carefully, he got out of his bed to walk to the bathroom. Raph and Mikey did a great job cleaning the place while he was sleeping and a moment of shame brushed him for his childish reaction that had given his siblings an extra-job. Then he chased the thought away, all of this was the fault of that prick Donatello.

He turned the tap, filled his glass and struggled hard after that to not send it shattering against the mirror. He looked like shit, with his eyes red-rimmed as if he had cried all night long. Maybe he did it in his sleep from anger and despair. The sleeping pills had knocked him so out of it, it could be true. He didn’t even feel Mikey sneak in his bed. Don’s bite mark was still there, nagging at him and his scowl worsened. At first, when he was bitten in the heat of the moment, he had been thrilled to be marked that way. He felt chosen, like he had a special value. But it wasn’t any better than a kid writing his name with a sharpie on his action figure so his friends wouldn’t take it. It wasn’t that the toy had value, it was his, period. If Don could piss on him to mark his territory, he would, Leo supposed bitterly. Only to be sure no one would mess with his belongings even if he didn’t truly care about them.

With stiff moves, he undressed and stepped into the shower, glaring at the bracelet but not daring to put it under the spray of water. What if he got electrocuted again? With a scowl Leo realized it would be his life from now on. Locked down, anxious about triggering the bracelet and about getting shocked again. He tried to take a deep breath to calm down but when he released it, tears ran down his cheeks. Tears of despair at the idea that he lost his freedom, of fear to feel the terrifying sensation again, and of anger to be reduced to tears in his shower. There was also the deep feeling of betrayal lingering in his soul, betrayed by the one- he could admit it now- he had longed so much to be loved by. 

To piss Donnie off, he didn’t put on any of the clothes that had escaped his wrath the day before, but some of clothes he had chosen with Mikey. He could be distressed, there was no way he would show a defeated face to Donatello.

Anyway, he doubted he would see him. When he was very emotional-and the day before he was-Don felt ashamed of his lack of self-control and hid himself, like after the damn Champagne night. Leo promised to never think back on that night with neither fondness or longing. He hoped Don had enough dignity to not show his face, anyway. Leo would probably punch him and to the hell with the consequences. 

But the moment he stepped in the kitchen, he stopped in his tracks. The asshole was there, dressed in his three-piece suit as if he was about to have lunch with the President, sipping on his smoothies as if his conscience was pure. How bold was the asshole, Leo fumed mentally. Don’s face, at first placid, turned irritated. 

“Why do you look at me like that?” he asked sharply. “I won’t bite your head off. You ran away, I scolded you and now, you won’t do it again, right?”

“Scolded?” Leo snarled. The guy electrocuted him and dared to say it was mere scolding? He opened his mouth to start an argument, but he had no words. Again, Don seemed to find his reaction perfectly normal and his reaction justified.  
  
Don turned away to show the conversation was over and that he had won the argument. There was no use trying to reason with him so Leo dropped onto a chair. He pulled out his knife, twirling it around his fingers. One day, he would snap, he told himself, he would snap and stab Donatello. He was sure of it; Don would get what he was asking for.

“Good job last night. I guess Micheal had no issues at all? You were right, he is more capable than I thought. You did train him well,” Donatello said, using his soothing voice. Leo stayed mute. Don could butter him up to no end, Leo would never forgive him. 

“Anyway, you should be happy, because I have good news for you.” For a moment, Leo’s heart leaped with hope. Would Don realize he had crossed a line? “You nagged me for vacation and I’m giving to you,” he continued. “Our next contract asks us for discretion. Last night’s contract was the last one for eight days.”

“Have you ever thought it could be a competitor that wants to get us out of business,” Leo blurted out, furious it was only about satisfying some new business relation instead of pleasing them. Since Don told them about that contract, Leo found it fishy, he just didn’t have the time to express his point of view because of the drama that had occurred after. “Don’t you think this whole thing is weird?”

Donatello shut up a moment, his face turning thoughtful.

“Your point is relevant, but that’s not the feeling I got….” Don replied slowly.

“Feeling?” Leonardo snorted. How bold he was to use that word. “What do you know about feeling?”

Don wasn’t dazed by Leo’s aggressiveness. Of course he wasn’t, he deserved so much worse.

“Let me reword that: it wasn’t the impression that I had from it.”

Leo shrugged, sickened and he stood up to leave. He wasn’t hungry anymore. 

“Anyway, I don’t care for that business of yours,” Leo trailed off about to leave, but in one long stride, Don grabbed his arm.

“Watch your words!” he growled. For a moment, Leo tensed, bracing himself for an incoming shock. “I poured my soul into our family business, for you, for…”

Leo gave him a hard shove to disengage himself. He wouldn’t live afraid in his own house, even less in front of Donatello. 

“That might explain why you don’t have one, anymore.” How Don worked hard to make them a luxurious living wasn’t anything new. He always used it as an argument, pretending Leo and Mikey were the ones that had itched to be flashy to impress humans. It wasn’t even true and also, this business had ripped Don from his last string of sanity and humanity.

He left before Don made the move or said the word that would make Leo lose it for good.

The following week, Leo avoided Don the best he could. During the day, he left his room at the last moment before his shift at the Ramen shop. There was no danger Don would poke his head out of his office during working hours. He felt too much contempt for their human customers. After his shift, he locked himself in the Dojo, where he trained until he was about to faint from exhaustion. 

Mikey insisted that he hang in the living room and watch a movie with him after the dinners Don didn’t attend anymore. The living room was a safe place, Don never stepped in a place used for entertainment only. Leo accepted, and left Mikey cuddling him. But there was a stiffness in Mikey’s body like he was ready to bolt to the other end of the couch if Don walked in. Anyway, despite his goodwill, Mikey’s warmth wasn’t reaching Leonardo anymore. Raph wasn’t even daring to stare at them, busy petting his cat. He pet him so much, that it was obvious Raph was doing it to cope with stress. Every time Raph was acting like an empty shell, Leonardo wondered again if Donnie was the cause of it. He knew for sure Donatello cared for Raph. It was probably his most genuine feeling. But it was like Don couldn’t love without hurting in his way of overdoing it, like Raph with his cat. Eventually, the kitten suffered from petting-induced overstimulation and growled.

But Raphael, instead of forcing himself on the cat, let him jump down from his lap, even if it was making him sad and left him alone to deal with his anxieties. Because even if Raph was suffering from PTSD according to Donatello, he was reacting in a saner way than Don who was “perfectly fine.”

And often, Leo daydreamed about running away again with Mikey, but bringing Raph and Plum with them far from Don’s possessiveness. 

After the movie, Mikey joined him in bed, but nothing physical beyond snuggles happened. It was weird considering Mikey was the most sensual creature he knew. Mikey loved to be touched, stroked and to be reduced into a mess. But now Mikey acted like a real little brother would do in bed for the first time in years and Leo wondered if he should be relieved or concerned. He knew Mikey didn’t feel any different, but his fear to piss Don off and make Leo receive another shock like a misbehaving dog, killed in him any incoming boner. Leo stayed stiff in the embrace and after faking that he was asleep, stared at his ceiling most of the night. He tried to fill his mind with white noise, to not wake up and kill Donnie in his sleep. He was at the point where he didn’t care if he died, admitting that Donatello said the truth that the bracelet would kill him afterward. It sounded so much like those Middle-Eastern Kings who wanted their harem following them into death. Since Donnie was a self-important shit, it could be; he was done hoping that there was still something good in him. So, who cared if he died in the process, he preferred to give up his life and give freedom to his brothers, he thought dreamily as he gazed at Mikey sleeping in his arms. 

Leonardo didn’t eat much either, but he wasn’t “starving himself.” That was Michelangelo exaggerating. When it was 1:am, and he was sure to not meet Donatello in the kitchen, he ate some leftovers from the dinner he barely touched, despite Mikey making sure to make his favorite meals. He did take a few sips too.

He did cross Donatello a few times during the week, but the moment the slender jerk in a three-piece suit stepped in, Leo was leaving. Every single time Don was walking, chin raised and beaming from some twisted satisfaction, Leo was trembling with rage. Was he so smug he thought he had broken Leo’s balls? Was he feeling he had apologized enough because again, he bought a shitload of gifts? Leo didn’t even bother to unwrap the boxes, walking over the mountain in front of his doors, when he wasn’t kicking away the packages that prevented him from leaving his bedroom.

He was already feeling like he’d been buried alive without having a wall of cardboard boxes in front of his door. 

That customer just didn't choose a good week to make a fuss. After a week of poor sleep, stress and impotent rage, Leonardo’s patience was running tight. The fact that this girl had dared to try to speak to him before locking herself in with Donatello wasn’t anything that would calm him down. It wasn’t the fact he was jealous of her-oh hell no. But that Don was speaking more to a stranger than them, his so-called brothers he supposedly cared so much for.

So the guy was complaining because he wanted rice and not noodles and today, Leo had decided he wouldn’t be compliant. That was the issue with him, Mikey had told him many times. Leonardo was too easy-going and eager to please jerks that didn’t deserve it. Besides, that guy already ate more than the ⅔ of his plate. There was no way Leo would refund him, even if he didn’t care at all about money. The guy was hitting the counter and making a ruckus, using the opportunity he was alone in the shop and Leo had a migraine since the morning. Maybe he should not have drank all that red wine between 2:00 and 3:00 am.

“...when I will call the Food Safety and Inspection Service, we will see if your mutant bitch ass is still as arrogant. Refund me now or get ready to have this place running in trouble.”

Running in trouble meant Donnie being involved and Leo’s arm moved before he could think twice. He stuck his knife right in the center of the guy’s hand, not even trying to avoid being splattered by the blood. 

“Arrrgggggg” the guy shouted.“You fucking stabbed me, you fucking psycho mutant!”The customer stared at his hand with wide, terrorized and incredulous eyes and something ugly in Leo was pleased by it. Finally someone other than Mikey, Raph and himself was feeling pain and fear. 

At the moment the thought bloomed in his mind, Leo was freaking out. Cruelty wasn’t him, even less with someone that wasn’t even a target, but an average civilian. Yes, he did enjoy breaking some hearts, as a twisted revenge of Donatello’s indifference, but to get enjoyment from physical pain and fear wasn’t him.

He was turning into something exactly like Donatello and that thought scared him.

Speaking of which, Don was there, barking orders in that clipped, icy voice of his. Leo’s brain barely registered Raph breaking the guy's neck in front of him. He was at the point of desensitized to violence. 

“Leon.”

Someone was calling his name softly, maybe for a while, and he wasn’t sure to who the voice belonged, knowing mostly Don called him that nickname he was starting to hate. But never had Donatello spoken to him with such sweetness. He turned his head toward the voice but wasn’t sure. 

“What is happening in there?” the girl he hated so much exclaimed and Leo’s nerves were so on the verge, still on his killing spree that he threw the knife at her head, but Don had expected the move and pulled her down.

Why did he protect her when he hurt his whole family?

Some other words were exchanged but he heard them like he was under water. Don was probably mad, and would maybe decide Leo was too unpredictable to be trusted and he would end him. He heard something about a body in the freezer, Raph looked sad and sick and Mikey distressed and he wondered if he was the one going in the freezer. Don was so mentally-ill, it could be. Anyway, it was better that way, since Leo was turning into an even more dangerous nutcase than Don. At least, Donatello had some self-control. 

“Leon, come with me,” Donatello demanded and Leonardo nervously grasped his wrist wondering if he would get a deadly charge now. He dreaded the pain but was actually relieved Don seemed to not be planning on doing it with Mikey and Raph as witnesses. They were traumatized enough. But Don did something unexpected and walked the distance to put a comforting arm over his brother's shell. Leo turned stiff and winced slightly away. Don was dragging him gently, but he knew better than to trust him. It would turn like the hand shake. 

“Hiding bodies and getting rid of them is bothersome,” Don mused aloud. “And we are supposed to stay clean for a while. Mikey, what can you do with him?”

Mikey frowned, confused. 

“I mean, it’s meat, right and it’s still fresh...for now,” Don snapped while dragging Leo away. “I don’t know, you’re the cook, but it could be used to stuff dumplings, right? Seasoned it would taste like pork. Why waste it? Meat is so expensive nowadays.” 

“And when I thought you couldn’t turn crazier, you are always impressing me by sliding deeper into madness,” April snickered. “You hate humans so much, now you will eat them?”

“I don’t eat fat, low quality meat, but our customers could. Cilantro would do an amazing job improving the taste.” 

Leo’s inside churned; he was going to be sick, he was about to puke his red wine and bile on Don’s expensive shoes.

Don didn’t bother to wait for a reaction as he pushed open the door leading to the staircase, still dragging his brother.

“Where are we going?” Leonardo demanded to know. “You want to punish me?”

“To punish you? Why would I?” Don asked, sounding genuinely confused. 

“I killed a customer in the daytime when it wasn’t a target,” Leo replied flatly. He didn't believe in Don’s pretend casual tone.   
  
“He insulted you and threatened to give us trouble.” Donatello shrugged. “You did what you had to do...and you were beautiful doing it.”

Leonardo shut up, processing what that could mean. It was nonsense he decided, but he was more flabbergasted when they arrived at their destination. For a brief moment, he had a view of Donatello's bedroom, something no one was allowed to see, but he had the time to see a glimpse of white in the middle of charcoal grey pieces of furniture. 

But then he got dragged into the bathroom, Don’s private bathroom that no one ever saw. It was all marble with a splash of gold, and with a cast-iron bathtub, but it was cold.

“What are we doing here?” Leo was breathing hard. He felt like a cornered animal. “You don’t let anybody enter your bedroom or bathroom.”

“But you are not anybody,” Don replied softly. “You’re my precious, very special, brother.” 

Leo froze, wondering what that meant and where the trap was,while Donatello locked the door. 

“What are we doing here?” Leonardo asked again. Would Donnie cut him into pieces with a saw in the bath? He tried to calm down. He was getting irrational. Don cared too much about his belongings to wreck them for good. Anyway, he must show no fear. “It's so impersonal. It looks like an overrated fancy hotel bathroom.”

Donnie’s gaze devoured him and he felt self-conscious, nervous and confused.

“Undress,” Don demanded calmly.

“Why? Do you want to spank me?” he asked, belligerent. “Do it and I slash your hand, even if I should die from it!” he vowed fiercely. 

“Your clothes have blood splatters.” Donatello pointed to the white shirt collar. “Undress and then, lay in the bath. I won’t spank you. You have my word.”

“No.”

Leo knew his brother enough to know that Donatello was many things, but he wasn’t a liar. But he wasn’t sure what to believe anymore. He thought he knew that Donnie wouldn’t hurt him, but still he got a 30’000 V shock. 

Donatello undid his necktie and the three top buttons slowly, and climbed into the empty bathtub. 

“Undress and come sit in here with me,” he asked again. “I will take a look at your wound since it’s worrying me. Then, I will make you relax.” He put a hand on his chest. “I swear.”

Still hesitant, Leo unbuttoned his waiter uniform and he was soon completely naked, except for the bracelet. Don’s voice was deep, with a hint of something different, something compelling it never had before.  
  
“Come sit with me,” Don encouraged him. 

Trembling slightly Leo climbed into the bathtub and with a gentle gesture, Don pulled him toward him, Leo’s shell on his plastron. They had never embraced like that, not sober or not since they had more than a mattress. But Leo tried to stay grounded. Don was reminding him of the snake in the Jungle book movie Mikey liked so much. He had to stay cautious. 

“Why are there so many mirrors in here?” Leo motioned with his chin toward the vast mirror above the cast iron bath. “Your girlfriend is right, you are truly narcissistic!”

“She is not my girlfriend, so you can stop trying to kill her, already,” Don replied idly. He blew on Leo’s neck and he jumped almost out of his shell, not having expected such a delicate gesture. “Does the bite mark still hurt? It doesn’t seem infected.”

“Not really, just a dull ache…” Leo quipped coldly. “That wasn’t the time you acted the most like a lunatic.”

“I’m glad it doesn’t hurt.To hurt you is the last thing I want.”

Don’s lips grazed it as a quick peck and Leo’s whole body tensed. 

“I have a gift for you…” Don’s voice was hoarse. “This is a very different type of…”

“I don’t want a gift.” Leo was already trying to get out of Don’s lap, but Don was quick to prevent him from going, locking Leo’s legs with his and holding him by the chest. “The last time you gifted me, you gave me a taser bracelet,” Leo snarled with hatred. “I want nothing from you!”

“That isn’t accurate. We received a few days ago what I bought when you were away. “You refused to open it then. That isn’t my fault.”

“Release me.” Leo’s breath was ragged like he was about to hyperventilate. Here it was; the trap. Don was so greedy, he wasn’t content enough to bite him and shock him; he wanted more. “I know what you bought me, you psycho.” Leo turned his head the best he could for their eyes to lock. “I’m sure it’s a chastity belt because you are crazy enough for that.”

“I swear this isn’t a chastity device. It’s the opposite, it’s to give you pleasure.” Don nuzzled him and Leo’s heart leaped in his chest. “I want to pleasure you. You deserve it for your hard work and diligence and for all the years you took care of our family for me.”

Don again kissed the bitemark, while massaging Leo’s upper arm with his thumbs in a comforting gesture and Leo hated that his body reacted and softened, even as his mind was still alert and waiting for the backlash. 

“If you say you don’t want it, I won’t force you,” Donatello continued. “But I chose this with you in mind. I thought it would bring us closer…” 

Leo stayed still and taking that as an agreement, Don stretched his arms, and picked up the box that was waiting near the bath.

“Open it,” he whispered. 

Don was behind him, whispering him sweet words and touching him in a very loving way. Don was the one having initiated the contact, the one wanting this and he wasn’t drunk. It was unexpected, and Leo wasn’t sure how to react. In his belly, a warmth was growing. He wanted this, he realized, Don petting him like he was precious and murmuring tender words was feeding a need he didn’t know he had. 

After a last moment of hesitation, Leo opened the box. If he was compliant, maybe Don would continue stroking and nuzzling him. But the disappointment hit him hard when he discovered the golden buttplug engraved with an elegant pattern. What was it for?

“This is a buttplug,” Leo said in a dull voice. “I already have one.”

“Correction: it’s a Louis Vuitton buttplug!” Don exclaimed “Have you ever seen anything as fancy as this one? I know I scolded you about spending on sex toys, but this one is different. This is my gift for us to have some quality time, just the two of us together. See? LV. It’s almost our initials. I should have asked them to turn the V into a D,” he murmured seductively and Leo felt his toes curl and his whole body melt. Don wasn't talking of owning him like he was a car, but was speaking of them as an item. “There’s the bottle of lube with it. Put it on and spread your legs. I want to see you. All of you,” he insisted, his voice thick and Leo took a deep sniff. He could smell Don’s arousal. Even as machiavellian as he was, that was something Don couldn’t fake. 

Leo’s breath hitched.

“What about Mikey,” he asked, uncertain. Don had said Mikey and Leo could be together and he didn’t mind. He even wrote it down in the contract. What did that stunning 180 mean?

“Mikey won’t mind. He loves you. He wants you to be content and satisfied. He can’t give you that fully, not as I do.” The lustful meaning of it wasn’t lost on Leonardo. “You know what we have is different.”

Yes, Leo always felt it, but Don had spent years denying it. 

“What do we have?” he asked. Would Don be honest? Would Don finally confess having feelings for him? What is because Don figured he had acted as a crazy asshole and wanted to make up for it?

“Put it in and I will tell you,” Donatello promised.

Gingerly, Leo took the two objects in hand, and carefully started to finger himself as he spread the lube before inserting the golden buttplug. According to Mikey Leo has a tendency to give one chance too many to people in general. Maybe it was true, but he wanted to believe everyone is and has the opportunity to be good and therefore should be given rather one too many chances than one too few. Maybe Don had an epiphany and realized he could obtain much more from Leo by not repressing his feelings and being loving? If that was so, being docile could only show Don he was on the good path and might encourage him to be more tender. 

Thinking of it gave him butterflies in his stomach and around his digit, he was slicker. He was wet enough and he pressed the buttplug inside of him. He heard Don’s breath hitch. 

“Spread your legs wider, I want to see everything. Yes, like that,” Donnie approved and he rewarded Leo with a kiss at the temple. Eagerly, Leo spread his long legs, showing off Don’s gift, knowing his brother would appreciate and reward his good behavior with more tenderness. “Now, drop down and jerk off until you come,” Don demanded in a husky voice that made a shiver run up Leo’s spine. “I want you to milk yourself to the last drop.”

With a whimper, Leonardo did as he was told and started pulling on his cock. 

“You are beautiful.” Leo moaned and pulled harder on his cock, feeling as strongly as the voice that was making love to him. Donnie continued with his sweet little nothings and nuzzled him again. “Do you like that?” he inquired.

"Yes," Leo breathed, his hand moving faster. His whole body was shaking with need. He hoped Don would pull out the butt plug and shove his cock into him before he could cum, but he knew better than disobey and spoil the mood.

"Slower. " Don murmured in a shallow breath. He firmly gripped Leo’s wrist, gently rubbed the bracelet with his thumb and for a heartbeat Leo tensed. But Don was only controlling the speed on his wrist, showing him how to please him and suddenly, pleasing Donatello was the thing he was most eager to do.“Slow down, I want to enjoy this.” 

“Put your feet on the bath edge. I want to see that jewel in such a magnificent setting. Tighten up your hand, Leo. I want that precome to get milked out," he instructed. He continued to give directions, which Leo followed with eagerness. 

This is what he wanted, to be told with love what to do, and to be loved even more. 

“Rock your hips, we both know how much of a horny little thing you are.”

To get called a horny thing turned Leo’s arousal on overdrive. He babbled some nonsense, and Don sunk his finger into his mouth and Leo sucked on it, his tongue twirled like an acrobat around them to entice Don to fuck him raw. 

“Now,” Don commanded firmly, digging his fingers hard into his Leo’s bicep, and he came hard, blowing his load for minutes, rolling through his orgasm and wailing so loudly, Mikey and Raph may have heard it from downstairs. 

When the pleasure running thru his veins dimmed, mellow in his afterglow, Leo turned his head lazily. He wanted some affection, a reassurance he did well. But Don disengaged himself to raise up.

“Where are you going?” Leo wanted to know. Would they move to the bedroom? 

Don didn’t answer right away, taking the showerhead. “I’m washing you,” he replied. “Is the temperature correct?” 

“Yeah,” Leo replied slowly. It wasn’t anything bad, but he hoped for something else. “So, what did we have?” he asked remembering the reason he had been so willing to spread his legs.

Don motioned to Leo to remove the buttplug and clean it, and Leo pulled it out, giving it back to him, looking at how careful Don was. But he didn’t like one bit how Don seemed engrossed with the task, instead of his answer.   
“Have you ever wondered why Splinter took you in? Because at first, I was the only one adopted.” Don smirked at Leo’s incredulous face. What was that? Raph was the one Splinter chose. “The orphanage wanted to get rid of me because I was giving them the chill.” He let out a dark chuckle and Leo could relate to them. He told him what had really happened and how Leo was included. “Then, I told Splinter about the pretty turtle working at the canteen.”

Leo’s attention was even more on him, feeling that some missing piece of the puzzle that was Don was about to be revealed to him.

“I insisted on the fact you worked there since he had a restaurant. I shut up about Mikey on purpose, knowing very well you would bring him along.” Don took a deep breath. “I asked him to take you in because I wanted you from the first time my eyes landed on you.”

It was the romantic confession Leo was dreaming of, but it was already so surprising coming from Donatello that he froze. Don finally admitted with words and not crazy gifts or coercive measures that he wanted him.  
  
Don used the momentum of Leo’s was daze to snatch a towel and, helping Leo to stand up, he dried him with it. Then, he pulled out his own bathrobe, wrapping him lovingly in it. Don never shared anything and Leo was more and more wondering and feeling if he was in a dream. 

“You need to rest, Leon.” Donatello caressed his cheek. “Then, Mikey will make you chicken soup. If you want me to invite you into my bathroom to play, you need to eat. Do you understand?”

Leonardo nodded, completely tamed by how Donnie was suddenly caring.

“Would you not lay down with me?” Leonardo asked hopefully. He was afraid that the moment he left the room, everything would vanish and he would realize it was a dream, indeed.

“I can’t. I have that body to take care of.”

It was a harsh kick back into a gruesome reality.

“You weren’t serious, right?” He suddenly remembered what had occurred before. “When you told Mikey to debone and prepare that man?”

“Do you want me to prepare you herbal tea? Mint would do wonders for your stress.” Don said, grinning. He gently dragged Leo away. “You will give me back that bathrobe later.”

Leo tried to resist, but the orgasm had turned him mellow. He didn’t dare oppose Don and risk him turning cold and cruel again.

For a moment, Leo stood alone in the middle of Don’s bedroom, using the opportunity to take in the details of the room. It was masculine and sober, minimalistic and modern, with neutral colors. It was the bedroom of someone that wanted to remain a mystery and not open up, Leo decided, but he was too blissful to let his mind linger on depressing thoughts, so he dragged his exhausted body to bed.

****

When Leo woke up he was confused for a moment. He was in his room but Mikey wasn’t there. He glanced at the alarm clock and his eyes widened in amazement. It was 6:00 am. Did he really sleep since yesterday afternoon? Indeed, he’d had poor sleep for a week and for once, he had slept like a log. He collected his memories. It seemed even more unbelievable thinking back on it. Was it an erotic dream he had? Did Mikey play with his body while he was asleep? It could be. Keeping his hands to himself wasn’t Mikey at all. But his little brother wasn't here and, slightly concerned, Leo pulled himself out of the bed, still a little groggy. 

The first thing he did was to walk to his bathroom to observe if there was any evidence left on his body that could give him a clue about the moment he thought he had shared with Don. But there was none; the bite mark was there, but it wasn’t new. He took a shower to be more awake. He had no trace of dried cum on him, but Don washed him after, didn’t he?

Suddenly, he remembered a detail and he returned to his room. Spread on his bed, Don’s bathrobe was there, meaning he hadn’t dreamed it and probably slept rubbing his face in it, comforted by the scent. 

It happened and Leo wondered for a moment what to do, proceeding with the information. Since walking naked was forbidden, Leo started to dress, using some of the clothes he didn't have torn; a black shirt and black pants and he tied up his blue bandana. He felt less provocative than the day before, still wondering what all of it meant.

He left his room, the purple bathrobe in his hands. He walked down the hall, to knock on the door of its owner. He’d done something similar a few years ago, after the Champagne night, but it still didn’t prevent his heart from breaking a little when he got no answer.

“Leo?” Mikey was rubbing his eyes, half-asleep. “Are you feeling better? Don told us to not bother your sleep.”

It was a very likely explanation of why Mikey didn’t dare to sleep in his bedroom. Since Mikey witnessed Leo having a seizure on the concrete, he was much more obedient.

“I am,” Leo agreed. “What had happened while I was out of it?” He stared seriously at Mikey, to be sure he wasn’t lied to. “What else did he say to you?”

“He supervised training. Can you believe that?” Mikey folded his arms. “That wasn’t all. He passed me and Raph in the interview.”

“The interview?” Leo was confused. How could Don make Raph pass an interview? Did he bump his head and that is why he told Leo so many stirring things?

“Yep. Remember? We got one at the Grand Nexus Hotel tomorrow and we must not fuck it up. Since none of us have ever sent any resume and never got into any interview, he wanted us to practice.” Leo frowned but had no choice but to agree it was the correct thing to do. “I think it's the closest to playing pretend Don ever did,” Mikey continued. “Donnie was…” Mikey’s sharp eyes studied Leo too. “In a very good mood.”

Leo wasn’t kissing and telling, but he could help but grinning. Then, he remembered he was supposed to be in a kind of relationship with Mikey.

“You can tell me, bro.” Mikey’s voice was slightly sad, but also, very understanding. “Even if he seemed to have acted nicely with you, I was actually worried for you. What did he tell you?”

“Where is he?”Leo needed to speak with Don before. He supposed Don wasn’t in his room for Mikey to speak freely just next to the door. 

Mikey had a knowing smirk.

“He is a routine mutant. He is either working in his office or hitting the dummy in the Dojo.” He yawned. “Since he is still alive, I guess he has breakfast sometimes, too.”

The office brought back to Leo very bad memories of when he had tried to speak to Don after the first night they shared together. But he gave himself a pep talk. Don had been the one who initiated it, when they were both sober, there was no way he would brush it away as if it didn’t happen.

Boldy he went downstairs and tried the kitchen first. The first thing he noticed was a purple post-it stuck on the fridge. He snatched it, narrowing his eyes, after having left the bathrobe on the counter.

_“Leon, please meet me at the Dojo after you get yourself a snack. I will wait for you. D”_

Leonardo gasped, not believing it. Donatello actually wrote him a note, with his real handwriting, instead of sending him a formal email. He was still mad to have been shocked, but if him wearing that bracelet could change his brother so much, Leo minded less.

He still had some pride though and he took the time to at least eat a banana, two spoons of almond butter and pour down his throat a cup of orange juice. He was starving and was used to getting some caffeine as a morning start kick, but he didn’t want to push his luck by making Don wait too long. He filled himself a bottle of water, in preparation for the training and went to the basement, being very careful to not express anything inadequate. If Leo was overreacting, Don would be turned off. 

The smell of smoke greeted him as he climbed down the stairs, meaning Don was there. Indeed, his brother turned his eyes toward him when he heard his steps and a grin stretched over Don’s features.   
“Here you are. I was wondering when the Sleeping Beauty would be awake.”

Leo froze; he could tell immediately it wasn’t training that he had in mind. Don was leaning on the wall, smoking a cigarillo and wearing his favorite three piece suit. The jacket was hanging on a chair and Don had pulled his sleeves to the elbow, showing his strong arms and Leo felt like a lamb having stepped into the wolf’s lair. Don was smoking idly, not looking at all like a coach. “Lock the door behind you. I don’t want us to be bothered.”

Leonardo kept an undazed front despite his racing heart and locked the door. 

“I do hope the rest did you some good. Did you sleep well?” he asked, his brown eyes prying on him, but in a more caressing way than before. 

“I did.” Leonardo decided he would act as if nothing had happened until Don himself breached the topic. There was no way he would make a girl of himself. “So, you want us to train together? It's been a while.”

“We will do a lot of things together, from now on,” Don puffed, his eyes gleaming and Leo’s knees almost buckled. Why was he so easily ready to forgive Donnie and love him. 

“What do you have in mind,” he asked, straightforward. “It's been a while since I’ve used the katana," he said, reaching for the weapon on the display next to Don. 

“No.” The command went sharp and Leo froze. “I mean the odds are very low you will have to use katanas in our next mission. If you want to do weapon training, we can use the bo.”

Leo rolled his eyes, and folded his arms. The Bo was the only weapon Don used except guns and all their youth he had nagged them about how superior the weapon was, since in fact, a bo could be anything looking like a stick and so, much more useful. But the familiarity of the small talk was making him breathe better. Indeed, Don was looking like he was in a very great mood, if he was carefree enough to the point of smoking. 

“Do you want a little sparring match?” Don proposed, crushing his cigarillo in an ashtray. “It could be your warm-up.”

He pulled from the stand a bo and passed it to him and both of them took position before starting. 

“Are you not afraid to sweat in your suit?” Leo taunted after about 10 minutes. So far they were even. It was feeling so incredibly good to spar with Donnie. “Don’t you want to change?”

“On a real mission, I wouldn’t be able to change. Anyway, I have hundreds of suits.” Don's face darkened a moment. “Not like you who tore up half of his wardrobe.”

The comment and the wonder if Mikey snitched on him made Leo lose his balance a moment and he fell on his shell. Ever the good winner, Don stretched his hand to help him stand up. 

“Not bad, not bad for a guy who barely trained with a stick,”Don said, using the mocking word Leo used before to talk about Donnie’s weapon of choice. “But now, we are about to train in your specialty, what you have truly mastered.”

Leo frowned.

“Throwing blades and shuriken?” That was very likely. Don had made him train his aim over and over.

But Donatello shook his head.

“Sex?” he said, deciding to get bold. 

“Oh you got me there,” Don replied. “I admit; your body expresses itself deliciously. But that isn't what I had in mind.” Leo supposed his disappointment must show on his face despite himself because Don smirked. “Sex will be the reward.”

On the ground, Don picked up a box and pulled out from it meters of red rope.

“Will you do your Houdini trick with me? I’ve always wondered how you did it” He pulled on the cord, as if he wanted to test if it was sturdy but Leo knew Don enough to know he had tested the rope beforehand. Being random and acting on the spur of the moment wasn’t Donatello at all. “I watched a step-by-step tutorial all night long.” Don’s voice was now a very low, lustful pitch. “I know exactly how to tie it.”

So Leo’s instinct had been right and the training was only an excuse to pursue some kinky stuff. That Donatello was into bondage wasn’t that surprising, but a part of Leo wondered if he could trust Donatello. 

“Are you actually afraid to fail?” Don teased him. “You should not think so lowly of yourself, Leon. I’m sure this will be a piece of cake for you.”

Leonardo was about to retort that he wasn’t thinking lowly of himself, but of Donatello. Or he could reply that it was rich coming from a guy who treated him like a precious figurine and nothing more. But all his wit and sassiness was gone as Don stroked the rope as if it was Leo’s skin.

“Impress me and I will reward you.”

What if he failed? Leo was a very confident turtle, but Don looked so smug, he must have an ace up his sleeve. And then, if he didn’t succeed, would he be punished. His hand wrapped around the bracelet, still remembering very vividly the agonizing pain of the shock.

“Please,” Don insisted and his eyes were shining with the same gleam from the day before and Leo knew it was over. 

He was still wondering anxiously if he was being an idiot as he was sitting on the chair. Don gave his shoulder an appreciative squeeze and started tying him up very tight, brushing sensually his flesh in the process. 

“Is is too uncomfortable?” Donnie inquired gently as he opened Leo’s shirt, discovering more of his body, for no reason at all than probably his own entertainment. “It is too tight?” he asked, tying his legs to the chair, spreading Leo’s legs the best he could, opening an inviting angle for him, but one that made Leo feel so vulnerable.

Leo shook his head, not trusting his voice. Don’s fingers were grazing every scute of his body and the rope was making him even more sensitive. Ten minutes later, Leo was nicely tied in the most erotic manner ever, from what he could see from his position. Don really watched a tutorial, he realized. Did he touch himself watching it? Did Donnie think of him while doing so?

“So beautiful. So perfect.” Don’s hunger was printed on his face. “There’s something missing, though.” He turned his body and Leo couldn’t see what he was doing until there was tape across his mouth. “Now, it’s even better. I wish you could see yourself. You’re breathtaking Leo. I hope you don’t mind me recording this?”

Don opened his phone and Leo was furious. He wanted to call Don a sadistic pervert and tell him to untie him already but he couldn’t because of the tape. 

“Ten minutes, Leon. Escape from those ropes before ten minutes and I will give you a mind-blowing reward in my bathroom afterward,” he declared, lighting up a new cigarillo.

Don’s horniess was apparent and Leo decided to calm down and focus on the task at hand. It was only weird foreplay. He already encountered those like the woman who wanted to be stared at while she was peeing. Donatello had a dominant nature and so, this game was characteristic of him and if Leo wanted the loving words and the caresses, he had to get out of this. Giving incentives had always been Donnie and never had Leo been so motivated.

“Are you hard?” With his shoes, Don pointed to Leo’s groin, between his indecently spread and tied legs and Leo felt humiliated to be so reactive, even more into such an embarrassing display. “I bet you are wet, too. You are such a kinky, sexy, horny creature, Leonardo. And needy, too. Needy for me, wet for me.”

To hear Don’s dirty talk was riling his pride up, but also turning him on. He was ashamed to have a body so weak and to be weak, period, to that jerk, but he couldn’t help it. Nature made him get wet easily and he was already damping his pants. Why was he getting hard and wet for a guy who after having fucked him, let him in the dust, treated him like an employee and then, shocked him? Was he a masochist?

Don got closer, dominating from his height, recording all of Leo’s struggle as he was a tied and horny mess. 

“Be a good boy and get out of the ropes, then I will reward you.” 

Leo drew his head back for the tails of his bandana to touch his hand. He learned how to sew at the orphanage, and since the rape, he sewed in all his bandana two razor blades. He tugged on one of the tails hard, managing to make the blade cut the fabric and started to saw the ropes, daring Don from his gaze, to keep him busy and running his mouth.

“Such a glorious sight. I wonder why I didn’t try it sooner.” He loomed over him, stroking his cheek. “I always wanted to see you like this, with those gorgeous eyes of yours staring at me like this, pleading, imploring, full of me…” He leaned closer, murmuring. “I want you to only look at me.”

Never had Don had voiced so much and Leonardo was drowning in this smooth, jazz-like voice. He managed to keep his focus and a few heartbeats later, he was free.

“Amazing; even if you looked so damn good restrained...” He bent over and opened Leo’s fist having probably caught the shine of a blade. He was beaming. “You are truly resourceful and skilled. I’m very proud to call you my brother, associate and soulmate”

Leo was on the ground, panting hard as he had run a marathon or got fucked senseless by a football team. He did it, he thought, not only to win the trial but also to make Don proud. Well, if he had to be honest, Donatello had praised him in the past, but it was with a lukewarm voice and a plastered half-smile. 

Don picked him up.

“Let's reward you.”

Leonardo was breathing cautiously, afraid to do something to spoil the mood. When they met Raph upstairs, Don’s order was straightforward.

“I want no one on the floor. If you know what is good for Mikey, you will tell him to not even try to spy on us.”

Raph nodded, his expression weird and Leo said something like Don didn’t need to be harsh. Donatello didn’t reply, his mind already miles away.   



	22. April: Alone Again (Naturally)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> April's take on Donatello

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Self-indulging chapter. Plot isn't moving, you can skip it if you want. The mission is for the next one.  
> Thanks for people having left me very lovely and motivating comments.

April didn’t even protest when Don kicked her out of Raph’s room. She didn’t learn anything that interesting anyway, but well, she had been genuine in her offer to Raph. The poor guy was truly pitiful to her. 

Raphael was the same age as her and still, will always be a kid. Well, the three brothers will always be. They could be seventy-years old and Don wouldn’t allow them any privacy. It was weird how fascinated she was with their family dynamic when she cut ties with her own family because they wanted to control her.

She managed to get free and somehow, she felt envious of Donnie’s brothers. Donatello truly cared for them much more than her own parents did for their daughter.

It must be said she wasn’t their biological daughter.

Her mother finally had a child after two miscarriages, Suzie, April’s older sister. But Suzie was trisomic and they had desperately wanted a child that could meet their expectations. After two more miscarriages, and now too old to bear children, they had decided to adopt a “poor child from Haiti” to impress their church.

April never told Don about Suzie because the Summer before she met Don, Suzie died, having drowned in a lake during their vacation. April got blamed for it. She had been only ten years old and unaware she was to watch Suzie when both their parents were a few feet away, sipping a margarita on the beach, she was the one that the fingers pointed to, because she hadn’t yelled when Suzie suddenly disappeared. April was herself busy searching fossils because she was on that whole dinosaur trip at the time and supposed that Suzie just learned how to swim under the water.

“You have an IQ of 160! How could you have believed that!”

It was like they really thought she had wanted Suzie to die. April didn’t remember her well anymore, but her sister had been smiling and sweet even if she choked a little with overprotective parents.

Maybe like Raph was. 

The fact was that now that Suzie was dead, April’s family had lost interest in her. It wasn’t only mourning. They looked at her like she was something between a disappointment and an aberration. Their only pride was that she was supposed to be a kind of genius. They always pulled out her IQ test results, every time some guest was concerned about her dissecting some dragonfly or digging in the backyard to search for fossils. Genius has weird tastes, her parents argued. She didn’t feel like she had weird tastes. She only wanted to discover and understand, but it was like it was beyond them.

A month later she was enrolled in a private school much more expensive than the one before because according to them April needed firm discipline. They were saying that because Suzie’s guinea pig died and April had wanted to look inside of him. They had blamed her for the pet’s death too. They said she was supposed to care for it. How could she have known? They never spoke to her. She had explained that in the Bible they forced her to read, there was mention of the soul and she wanted to find where the soul could fit in a body.

They said a Guinea Pig has no soul and the next day she was at the new school. 

They also said that as their unique child, she was their only hope to carry their expectations. In fact, it was probably the dormitory that had interested them more. They had decided they wouldn’t even go fetch her on Friday night like the other parents, but Saturday at lunch. And they made sure she was locked back there on Sunday after dinner. Very soon after, they divorced and so, they only had to deal with her on a weekend on two. They always made sure to mention her school name, every time there were guests. It was a school that was supposedly so difficult to be accepted into, so at least April had a purpose while attending that school: impressing guests. 

The first memory she had of school was Donnie’s green and moody face, totally uninterested in the new student. She had never seen a mutant at that time but had heard about them. They have some capacity humans didn’t have and also, he looked like a kind of dinosaur with the scales and the shell. It had been the first reason for her utter fascination for Donatello, but when the classes started and she saw how smart he was, she had been even more interested. Even his name was making her mouth full like it was stuffed with hard candy.

At lunch, she immediately knew at which table to sit. Donatello was alone, at the end of a long table, chewing methodically on a sandwich. To sit with the unpopular kid was fine by her, because popular kids were overrated and so boring. And more importantly, they didn’t look like they came from a dinosaur book. 

Donatello held back for three months before replying to her, chewing on his sandwich, staring in the distance, and ignoring her completely. Of course, she was used to being ignored by her parents; they talked to her, but dismissed her real needs or interests. Her classmates were the same, or well they tried, but always ended up bullying her because she was “different.” It didn’t work because April was witty and didn’t mind getting physical or having runs in her stockings when she was forced to whore at school. The teacher tried to ignore her too, until they snapped and sent her to the principal’s office. 

She knew it wasn’t her specifically that Donatello ignored. He didn’t talk to anyone, except if he was forced into replying to the teacher. Even so, he spoke with such disdain in his voice, the teacher chose him only as a last resort, when no one else knew the answer. Donatello was the smartest and the youngest. He let no one in and never spoke to anyone, so no one ever bullied him. There were weird rumors spreading about him; some fat students disappeared during lunch break, to never reappear after. Once, a bone fell from Don’s locker and so, everyone knew that he was cannibalistic. It was utter bullshit. They didn’t watch Don eat as closely as she did. It was obvious the guy only ate to stay alive, without any appetite and he didn't have any fat on his slender body. She only replied to the other girls that Don couldn't be cannibalistic since humans weren’t his kind. 

Every new detail about him was making her itch to make him crack. A mysterious aura seemed to float around him and April wanted to be the one to break it. 

No one had ever managed to ignore her for so long and so smoothly. She tried to speak casually, she tried to gossip, she tried to study, she tried flattery, she tried insults, a mosquito would have more of an impact on the unbothered statue that was Donatello. 

Until that day in December. 

As usual, she was making small talk, now used to those monologues, asking questions without waiting for an answer. She was talking about their school Christmas show and the Winter ball. Donatello had been forcefully enrolled into a spelling bee presentation and she had wondered aloud if Donatello would have any family coming to see him.

“I’m not making a show of myself for people’s entertainment when there are so many things more important that require my attention. Furthermore, I would never endanger my siblings by bringing them here. My father will come to fetch me and I’m going straight home.”

April had stared eyes wide, musing over what she said today that had made the statue move. 

“So, you have siblings?” she asked randomly and it had been the good question to ask, because Don replied again.

“I do.”

“Are they turtles like you?”

“They are.”

“Are they all too young to be at school?” she had asked again, encouraged by the fact, that despite the dry tone and the short answer, Donatello was still speaking.”

“I have a brother the same age as me and another younger brother. Both of them go to a public school next to our home. My older brother can’t go to school. It’s complicated and I don’t want to talk about it.”

April had caught the drift. In the following months, she only tried to speak about Don’s siblings. He never tried to be polite by asking questions about her, but April didn’t care. She had nothing interesting to say about herself. But the way Don’s eyes shone when he spoke about his brothers was fascinating.

She had learned their names a few days after Don spoke to her for the first time: Raphael, Leonardo, Michelangelo. 

By the spring, she even got to see their pictures, pinned on the wall in Don’s room in the boy’s dormitory. Raph was his real brother; Don explained and April had been a little confused. None of them looked like the others. 

“We are from different species. Raph is my brother because we come from the same place and were raised together before being adopted,” he had explained, annoyed. April had learned that Don seemed to like his brother Raph-well, he loved all of them-but refused to talk about him. But when it was about his brother Leo, that was another story. “Mikey is Leo’s little brother. In fact, in the family, we say he is like Leo’s baby.”

Donatello barely ever mentioned the father, a useless old rat, according to Don’s comments, so April preferred to keep the convo on Donnie’s siblings. She really wanted to understand the dynamic they had. There was something under the surface, and she methodically scratched the layer, with stubborn patience; asking the same questions, but worded differently, every time.

“So, only Raph is your brother? And Mikey is Leo’s baby,” she repeated with air quotes. “So what are Leo and Mikey to you?”

“Are you an idiot? They are my brothers too!” Don would snap coldly and to annoy him was giving her delicious thrills.

Don never initiated the conversation, but every now and then, he accepted a display of friendship. They were teammates in biology and when they had to dissect a frog, April had generously offered to slice open the frog so that Donnie would not have to kill his own kind.

“Frogs are amphibians and turtles are reptiles, you airhead. Anyway, I’m not a turtle. I’m a mutant.”

No one ever called her an airhead and that Donnie was right to do so at the moment was a nice change. 

At the end of the year, she had grown bold and had asked Don to be her partner at the 6th-grade prom. He had turned her down flat. Don had no time to waste on dancing and no money to waste on a suit. Because even though Donatello was still in Elementary school, she had learned he had a business to run and a family to feed and that was his top priority. Anyway, she had asked only because she was curious about the answer and not because she actually wanted to go to something as bourgeois as the prom.

Their school was divided into two sections, the Middle and High school being together and April who had believed school was Hell, understood that there were many circles to Hell and the HighSchool section was a circle farther. 

She had to change dormitories and moved into what she sneered was the Virgin Tower as if at 12 years old it wasn’t normal to be one. The rooms had been distributed with a draft and she got paired with the worst bitch ever, a real airhead that one, with only the longest and brightest blond hair ever. 

In the evening, she always managed to sneak into Donnie’s room, to escape her annoying roommate, brushing her hair while video calling her friends. Don had none because no one wanted to share a room with a mutant and the few mutants there didn't seem to want to be with Don, either. April’s opinion about it was that Don was lucky.

Don’s room was narrow, but the neatest place she ever saw. He didn’t bother to put a lot of personality in it. The whole room was white, impersonal, and functional as a workplace was supposed to be, Donnie would point out. The only fantasy was the corkboard.

Every year, Don pinned new pictures of his brothers and allowed April to see them. Allowed wasn’t an exaggerated term. Considering how they seemed precious to Donatello and that he let no one in his room, she knew Don would call her privileged. 

He never asked April a single question about her family, when everyone else knew her parents were rich, white, and obviously, didn’t care about her the slightest bit. At least, Donatello wasn’t faking to pretend to care. 

Every evening, she sneaked in his room, while he was studying, talking aloud about how she wanted to burn the school to the ground starting with the Virgin Tower. Usually, Don paid her no mind, but one night when they were in 10th grade, he had replied without glancing away from his book.

“I will gladly help you, but can you restrain yourself until I get my degree? I really need it to make our family business prosper,” he had replied flatly. "I'm here, locked with you, to give my brothers a better future."

After four years, it was the most emotional answer she heard from him about something that wasn’t his siblings, Don’s unique passion. Then, Don started to open up a little more about his ambition and well, there was a lot to say about them. April was 16 years old and her unique ambition was to get to the legal drinking age and then to tell fuck you to her parents. It was interesting to see Don develop his career plan as an adult would have when he was a teen younger than April herself. But it was easy to forget he was 14 years old. First, Don was the most mature student in the school. But it was also his body that didn’t look like a teenager with his long gorilla-like arms. Don didn’t have acne like the other boys did and his voice didn’t flutter between that of a child or a man. It went straight to an adult’s. One morning, he had started to speak in a smooth, jazzman voice that sounded kinda erotic. Don was also very tall, as tall as some of the teachers, and always impeccably dressed in his tailored school uniform. Anyway, if someone would have called him a teen, Don would have been confused. He had explained to April how he was running their family business, and he was talking with confidence about the household budget with that brother of his he seemed to get along with so much on the phone as a real adult would do. 

Don was so tall, still growing up and she couldn’t help but wonder about his cock size. It must be huge and frightening and to feel scared must be fun once in a while.

So, April touching herself while thinking of Don was understandable. The guy was still a mystery for her, but now, there was something enticing about his difference. The other people in the school felt it too, the difference went beyond Donatello’s mutant form. As she was attracted to him, other people seemed repulsed. That Don scared them so much was making him even more desirable in April’s eyes. 

Maybe if they had sex, she would understand him more. It was like any creature, she had to feel them on the inside to know them.

Every evening, she sneaked into his room, hoping to walk in on him jerking off. Every evening, she was on his bed, legs spread. They were alone, and teens were supposed to be horny, but she could have fingered herself and came on his bed and Don would not have noticed, he was too busy studying. She could have been the radio, making only background noise and Don wouldn’t have known the difference, now used to April's presence and chit chat like she was a talking piece of furniture. At some point, her curiosity about his cock had been so devouring, keeping her awake at night, that she had offered him $50 to see it. She knew how stingy he was and hoped that if she wasn’t enticing enough, money would be.

“You’re disgusting. Get laid already,” Don would mutter, covering his cellphone while he was discussing with Leonardo how much he could spend for Raph’s gift the next week. 

After four years, the topic that moved him the most was still his sibling. But something had changed. April was too observant to not notice. Donatello wasn’t as eager as he was to talk about the one she thought was his favorite brother until then. There was caution when he said his name, a reserve he didn’t have before. And well, he did ask her for a knife a few months ago. It was a very nice knife she stole from her father. She was making no mystery that she had it, even less in front of some of the bitches in her classes. But Don had offered to do her history homework in exchange for it and she had accepted if he told her what he was going to do with it.

“Leon has been working at our restaurant as a waiter for the past few months. You may not realize because you haven’t met him, but he is…” He let the sentence hang with suspense, and April’s nipples got almost hard from the tension. “You know, he is reaching that age?” he finally snapped and her eyes followed Don’s gaze now on his pinboard. On it, Don had pinned his brother’s more recent pictures and a few drawings from the youngest. The board was placed in a way that it was the first thing Don saw when he woke up and the last thing he saw when he fell asleep. Does Don jerk off to porn like any other guy before sleeping? She doubted so. 

“Mikey is working too. He is our cook, I fired the incompetent people working for us. Out of our family, no one could be trusted,” he continued, not bothering to continue the sentence or wait for April’s answer, neither if he was insulting her by his comment. “In the kitchen, Mikey is less likely to deal with anything too closely. If one horny guy touches Leon, I want him to be able to fight back.”

“But you told me you got your nice build karate training with your bros? Are they not good?”

“He is, but while I’m not there, I need to have peace of mind so I don’t go crazy.” 

Something had shone in Don’s eyes and she saw the hesitation that lasted only a moment before he replied in a monotone voice to dim the fire that gleamed for a heartbeat in the brown orbs. “I want to be completely sure he will win the fight. Win definitively.”

April had felt a warmth creeping into her. She had known for a while now Don was extremely wary of humans, an even more accurate statement would be that he hated them. He let April in because she indulged him by listening to him talk about his siblings since he seemed to miss them so much. She found something very arousing in the idea Don wanted to gift his brother a blade to defend himself with. The way Don had hinted it was like he would have jumped and torn apart anyone who touched his brother if he was there. 

It was maybe too caveman, but April would have liked it if someone had such a primal need to protect her like that. 

But that had been the last time she had heard Don speak of Leonardo, six months ago. It must be said that Don was always busy studying, but she felt it in her core: there was something there to dig for.

“Did you fight with your brother Leon?” she had asked. She was wearing red lace panties and was making sure Don had a great view of them. So far, the red panties had no effect on Don, but Leon’s name did. Go figure.

“I didn’t.”Don had paused his pen. “Don’t call him Leon, either. He isn’t yours to call him like that. Call him Leonardo.”

“O-kay,” she had said, annoyed. The fact was that she got into a huge fight with her own parents on the phone because she got caught smoking on the campus the same week she cut her roommate’s hair while she was sleeping. She would have appreciated it if Don could have felt the same as her for them to connect. Because that was what she wanted; to connect. She never cared for people before, but Don wasn’t people. He was like a fossil from a new species of dinosaur. The fossil wasn’t complete, so she didn’t have a full view of the species he was. She needed to dig deeper and she knew the brothers were the good vein to follow. “You never have a fight with your family?”

“No.” Don was still holding his pen, but not writing anymore. That was already an achievement. “Well, sometimes, I have to scold Mikey and.. spank him,” he sighed. It seemed like something he didn’t especially enjoy and April had knotted her brow in confusion, forgetting she was feeling horny, the curiosity getting the best of her. Don spanking Mikey was an image she had trouble picturing.

“Is that not your father’s job? Or Raph’s? Or Leo’s? Well, excuse me, Leonardo,” she had replied with emphasis. 

“Our father is a useless old man, you know that, and it isn’t Raph’s job to do that. First, he is too strong and well, he hates violence. Anyway, it’s none of your business.” He had taken a deep breath. “Leon is too soft-hearted too.”

“Yes, you told me many times about how he acts like a doting mom. So who are you? Is Mikey like your son, too?” she had taunted. “You do act like his father.” Don had slammed his pen down.

“He is,” he had replied icily. “Now, get out.”

It was the first time she had crawled under his skin enough for him to kick her out and she had spent the whole night wondering how she had achieved that, peeling apart their conversation. She wasn’t positive about anything and so, gave herself a new objective.

To get invited to Donatello’s house for the weekend and have more to watch.

She told him she had family problems and asked if she could spend the weekend with him. Don had flatly refused, arguing he had no time to fool around during the weekend. He was busy with study, his family business and he didn’t want anyone in the way of him being with his family after a week away. 

“Follow the rules if you are sloppy enough to get caught,” Don told her, smoking from one hand and typing his homework from the University online class he was in. “Then you wouldn’t be in trouble and bother me with it.” Of course, Don could smoke and no one would notice because except for April, no one ever stepped into his room.

Because besides his brothers, Donatello cared for no living being and it was so evident, people were filled with uneasiness to be dismissed at that point. 

April had insisted and insisted and finally managed to succeed only because she forcefully entered Splinter's car the next Friday, telling the old mutant she was afraid to go back home after having introduced herself as Donatello’s girlfriend.

“Don’t lie to him. You are not my girlfriend. You are barely an acquaintance!” the ungrateful jerk had retorted.   
  
Splinter had still let her climb into the car, probably already shocked that someone as peculiar and unfriendly as Donatello could have an acquaintance.

Donatello had rolled his eyes and sighed, but he didn’t care enough to protest when Splinter started the car. After years studying him, April had learned Don had no fighting spirit at all when it wasn’t directly related to money or his brothers. It was easier to get something from him and his cold demeanor than one would think.

She had started with small talk to put Splinter’s guard down, as she did with Don, introducing herself and insisting she was Don’s best friend for four years.

The old rat-man was less bad than what she would have thought from Don’s comments and he was oddly excited at the prospect of having a guest.

“Donnie speaks about his family all the time,” she had exclaimed. “I’ve been very eager to meet you.”

Splinter looked troubled. 

“Donatello is a very good son and a hard worker,” he had stammered. “And he does love his brothers a lot.”

The tone had changed, turning cautious and April’s curiosity had grown. 

“Maybe you should call home to tell them we have a guest, Donatello,” Splinter had suggested. “For your brothers to prepare her a plate.”

“She is not a guest. She is an intruder.” He had still pulled out his phone. “Don’t even dare to introduce yourself as my girlfriend to them. I will rip out your tongue, acquaintance or not.”

“It pleases me to meet my sons’ friend,” Splinter had said, trying to be polite to make up for Don’s icy reply.

“Why? Did you meet other friends?” Don had asked, inquisitive. “Mikey’s? Or...Leon’s perhaps?”

Splinter had started rambling nervously about how much of a very concerned big brother Don was and April had shaken with excitement. It was a new piece of the fossil she would unveil and maybe if Don’s family liked her, she could be a part of it? 

Indeed, when she arrived, she did feel like an intruder. The Ramen Shop’s lights were dimmed and the three brothers were waiting in line. April had glanced around. There was nothing special about the shop. It wasn’t shabby or fancy, it wasn’t small and it wasn’t wide. But the food smelled good. The brothers in line, probably wearing their best clothes wasn’t making the place very welcoming.

“This is April. She is my classmate. She is a human, but she is not dumb, well not too much,” Don had introduced, annoyance lacing his voice. “She has insisted on meeting you. She has family issues, whatever that means,” he had shrugged.

April had been surprised by how dispassionate Donnie was. Of course, Don wasn’t someone very expressive, but he seemed to care for his brothers, so she had imagined their meeting would be a little more...warm? But she wasn’t disappointed even a little bit. If anything, it was more interesting.

Since she had their pictures, she knew who was who and she went to introduce herself better than Donnie did.

She went to Mikey first. He was easy to recognize, bouncy, with an orange bandana. She chose him first because Raph was staring at the ground and Leonardo was glaring.

“Hi, Mikey! I’m April!” she had exclaimed, stretching out her arm. She was usually kinda shy with new people, but Donnie spoke so much about his brothers, she felt like she knew them already.

“He understood when Don said it!” Next to Mikey, Leonardo was looking at her crossly, black eyes burning with wariness and hatred through the blue fabric. Leonardo was the brother Don had talked the most about. Except for the last six months, he had been raving about this specific brother. Okay, maybe raving was an exaggeration, but Leonardo had been the only thing Donatello hadn’t been sharp and short when talking about. Raph was Don’s brother and Mikey’s was like his son, but Leo’s position was much more blurry.

“Are you alright?” Don had walked the distance between them, to stand in front of Leo, concern on his face. “Did something happen while I was away?”

Don’s voice was softer than usual and April had felt all warm and excited by the prospect to watch and learn. 

“Nothing. I played housewife,” Leonardo spat and he was so far away from how Don had painted him, affectionate, caring, and maternal; April couldn’t help but notice and wanted to observe even more. She felt like she was in a Discovery Channel episode. Something even more erotic than from Don was pouring out of Leo. Maybe it was because of his almond-shaped eyes and his sharp jawbone, giving him a feline grace and also his very hot booty. April wondered if that was what Don meant when he said Leo had reached “that age.”

Donatello was lost for words for a moment and April knew she had a great idea to force them into accepting her. Indeed, the dinner had been educational. When she asked Leonardo why he was staring at her, Leonardo had replied that to do that she would need to have something interesting about her.

“Leon, be polite,” Don had said, absentmindedly, not giving an actual fuck but defending her for the sake of appearance. “I don’t even recognize you.”

“It must be because you’ve been avoiding me for months,” Leo had retorted, snarling.

“Nonsense. I come back here every weekend.”

It wasn’t until the dessert that she finally understood what Donnie’s big secret was: Incestuous desire. It was obvious in the way he was staring at Leo when the latter filled his cup and couldn’t look back, and April sobered up any sexual appetite she could feel about Donatello. She wasn’t disappointed at all. This was so much more interesting. 

She made sure to praise each of them in the most triggering manner, but in a way Donatello couldn’t blame her afterward. 

“Donnie, you never told me about how handsome your brother was,” she said seductively, winking to a livid Leonardo.

“Of course, he is my brother, I have no opinion about him,” Don replied, chewing on the broccoli the slowest he could. “Mikey, slow down on the soy sauce next time.”

The little hypocrite.

“Stop looking at me.”Leonardo’s voice was as sharp as a blade. Damn, April almost felt the kiss of a knife on her throat just by the heated glare he was giving her.

“Mikey, your meal was delicious. It is your mom, I mean Leo, that taught you how to cook?”

“Are you calling me a girl?” Leonardo’s stripes seemed to turn more crimson with anger. 

“Enough! I don’t come home on the weekend to hear fights around the table!” Don dropped icily and everyone shut up. “April, enjoy Mikey’s cooking because I guarantee you you won’t get to taste it again anytime soon.”

Splinter and Raphael didn’t even look up once from their plate and the rat excused himself to go see some “friend.” Mikey was also glaring but April didn’t take it personally. Anyway, more genuine curiosity was shining in the youngest gaze than anything. He was only imitating Leonardo out of solidarity. She was feeling like she was on the set of a reality show.

She never thought even in her wildest, darkest fantasies that she would be at one end of a love triangle. Of course, she wasn’t really. She doubted that Donatello could ever be interested in her in that aspect, but Leo was believing it and it made a pleasant chill run down her spine. 

No one ever had been silly enough to be jealous of her. It was making her all fuzzy inside. 

When it was time to sleep, it had been a ruckus to decide where April would sleep. Don hadn’t cared in the slightest, but Leo had made a big deal out of it and finally, Splinter had given her his bed and he slept on the couch. She hadn’t been able to sleep, wondering with some excitement if she would get murdered in her sleep with her own blade. 

At some point, she had heard cracking sounds next to her door, and when she had opened it, she saw Don crouched next to Leo’s door, a cup of flour in his hand.

“What are you doing?” both asked the other in a low voice. But Don didn’t even need to reply; April got it. Don was scattering flour on the ground to see if there would be a footprint in it. To know if Leo left his room to see friends of his own. Something that obviously, Don seemed to make a big deal of. 

“You’re such a possessive bastard,” she said, half-mocking, half admirative.  
  
“I don’t know what you are talking about. I only want my brother safe.”

How Donatello kept a straight face uttering that bullshit made April even more eager to force a confession from him.

About eight years later, they were still at the same point, even if after that weekend, as chaotic it had been, April had grown more intimate with Don. She had seen his brothers, Don’s most precious, private thing, something equivalent in Don’s book as if he would have flashed her his intestines. He never admitted a single thing, but his sentences were a little longer, and eventually, he had come to speak to her like a real friend would have done. Well, she supposed, she never got any friends.

There had been moments she believed she was getting there; the confession. At some point, Don’s brother was assaulted and she thought he was about to get mad. When he told her, she had waited with bated breath for Don to lose his last screw, and for his flawless image to shatter to show how much of a dark, rotten being was under it. That had always been the picture of Donatello: an icy lake. If you cracked the surface, the carrions would lift it up. 

“They will eventually pay,” Don had said coldly. “Eventually because Leo and Mikey refuse to tell me their names.”

Why did Leon have to be such a party popper, refusing to let Don avenge him? She had romantic visions of a bath of blood. Maybe that was exaggerating since Don could not even spank Mikey without looking like he was going to throw up. April had been very curious to see the way Don would avenge his brothers. 

The next week, Don knew he couldn’t go to the University and April had been very disappointed. She had been surprised about how unbothered Donatello was. 

“People like me always find a way to reach their goal. Anyway, my brothers need me. I want to sleep at home every night and we need money.”

She asked again if he wanted to be her partner for the prom, the real prom that time and she hadn’t been surprised when he refused.

Friday night was the night he went to the shooting range, he had informed her coldly. He just discovered that it was an excellent form of stress relief and well, it was good to have a hobby and no prom or whatever would make him skip it.

Donatello could have a hobby; he wasn’t yet 16 and had a job. It was a tech support job and the reason Don had accepted to go as far as having a boss and dealing with dumb humans was that he could work remotely most of the time and so, be more at home. 

From there, they had seen each other less often and well, April had kinda missed Don even if she wasn’t naive enough to think it could also be the other way around. She had realized that being friends with Donatello, as uncaring as he was, had the advantage that no one ever tried to mess with her. No one was as interesting as him and she couldn’t bring herself to try to make new friends. Student life was boring to watch, even more when compared to how Leo glared at her every time she was with Don purposely ogling Don’s ass to rile Leo up. Now that Don was all grown-up, his ass looked nice, indeed. Leon’s was even nicer in the very tight pants he wore, but she didn’t have a death wish to try and touch him. Now that Don wasn’t distracted by study and sleeping every night at home, he was much more controlling, toward his brothers, their surroundings, and also, himself. Living with his crush every day seemed to take a toll on him and so, he was more stone-faced than he had ever been before. But he needed more than an icy tone and a stern expression to fool April after years studying Donatello. 

Her parents cut ties and she found herself penniless. She had wanted to work at the Ramen shop but Donatello had refused very firmly. Unexpectedly, Donatello offered her a loan, but she refused it because she didn’t want to be looked at with pity and also, she felt that owing money to Don was worse than the mob. Dealing drugs had been an impulse. She had hoped it would give her some thrills, now that she had a boring student life, while Don was making too much money to listen to her. It wasn’t any more exciting than if she had to sell Avon products and she had almost dropped it until that first time Don sat aristocratic in her shabby kitchen, his long legs crossed and wearing one of those expensive tailored three-piece suits.

“Work is piling up and I need to be more effective,” he had stated. 

She had frowned in confusion. Was he trying to make conversation? She doubted he drove all the way in his flashy mafia boss car to have an instant coffee and talk. 

He opened his wallet, slamming $300 on the table.

“Your purest stock,” Don said as if he was asking for a double espresso shot in his latte at Starbucks.

A shiver like she had never felt yet had run through April. Don was April’s only friend and one should be concerned by their best friend starting to use hard drugs. But that wasn’t what she felt. If Don turned a regular customer, she would see him more often. Okay, it sounded a little selfish, but it wasn’t only that. If Don, the most effective person she knew was needing drugs it must be because something had happened and he was feeling a weak spot in the iron he was cladded in. It was so fascinating and the phenomenon she had waited years to see. 

And when it happened, she wanted to sit in the first row. It wasn’t meanness, it was curiosity, and well, after that, pulling Don together would be interesting too. Anyway, she doubted that someone, as used to self-restraint as Don was, could turn into a real addict.

“You just turned 18 years old. I’m not your mom,” she had said.

He was now buying it from her quite regularly for three years. So far, he was still managing his life as he was used to doing. Every time he came to her place, she made sure he stayed at least 40 minutes. She would ask questions about his business, even if she didn’t care about it and his brothers. She was doing it to entertain herself, to make Leo rage and also for Don’s own sake. The poor guy had no friends at all and she could see that in her kitchen, Don seemed more relaxed than when he was at his place and she paid them a visit. But despite her attempt it was impossible to keep Don away from his office and his siblings. Every time, he cursed April’s chit chat and rushed out of her apartment, leaving her alone again.

When Don left without really asking her anything, she continued the conversation with Billy, her beaver skull. Billy had no siblings or money obsession and so, this was when she spoke about herself and wondered if she should buy a new vibrator. The one Don gifted her with had been great the first two years, but now it was getting old. 

Oddly, even if Don didn’t seem to care, she had learned he was more listening than she was giving him credit for. He never forgot her birthday and always bought her something that she had mentioned once needing. She also knew that at any point, if she needed help Don would help her. She would do the same for him, but asking for help was just not them. So, that morning Don knocked at her door at 4:00 am, collar blood-splattered, she had decided she would do as she always did: force her way in steadily like a bulldozer.

Don was her friend and she wanted him happy, as happy he could be without dominating the world. She also had a lot of pity for Raph and Mikey. To have Don as their boss must suck. She didn’t feel the same for Leonardo. That guy had done his best to be a jerk to her, and, according to her, Leo had been a coward. He had been the one that allowed Don to enslave their whole family. He could have used his influence on Donatello long ago to get him and his bros a better life. The bracelet given by Don had gone way overboard, but Leo must have seen it coming knowing Don’s need to control, to dominate, to own. She had, when she saw Don with a flour cup in his hand, eight years ago. 

After having seen Don thinking and agonizing over his brothers for more than a decade, she doubted Don would let him go. It was like a beautiful butterfly he spent his life chasing. Of course, he didn’t catch it so he could release it. If the butterfly struggled too much to get his freedom back, would Don want to pin it? 

But April wanted to play cupid mostly because she was also thirsty for some mutant gay romance. She really hoped one day to walk in on some and that was why she loved to come to the Ramen Shop without an invitation. Since the flour incident, she guessed Don must be wild in bed and her nights were filled with mating monster fantasies. She started renting gay novels and erotic books and slowly became obsessed by it. She will be their Cupid whether Don wants it or not. Then, she will bribe Mikey to record some of it for her spank bank. But for that, she needed allies and a reason to be there with them more often. 

The psychotherapy offer was for that, but it wasn’t enough. 

Tomorrow, Donnie and his brothers would try to get hired at the Nexus Grand Hotel. Maybe she would too, she needed a side-job. Don didn’t want her to work at the Ramen Shop, but she would join his team whether he wanted her to or not. 

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, if you are a reader of TMNT fanfics, not only Lucrative, but others, please consider filling a Nomination Ballot for the TMNT Adult Fanfiction Awards
> 
> Here the blog:https://affatmntfan.tumblr.com/
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	23. For your Entertainement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mind-blowing art very soon!
> 
> I remind every reader that I don't speak English. This isn't beta work. Grammar could be off.

Don didn’t sleep a blink again. But this time the reason for it was a thrilling one. The next morning, he would make Leonardo even more his. 

The experiment in the bathroom had opened his eyes. April had been right; Leon needed this and if he had to be honest, he needed this as well. Now, Leonardo knew where they stood. Donatello could allow Leonardo to fool around with Mikey, but Mikey only. If Mikey needed it, fine. The baby of the family had always been hungry for Leonardo’s attention. Don should know better than try to separate them and be silly to the point to be almost jealous. It didn’t matter if Leo fucked around with Mikey, it was just another way to rock him to sleep, as when he was young. Mikey was content and when Mikey was content, Leonardo was. If Leo and Mikey were content, Raph was and so, Don’s job was done. Both Leo and he needed a little more spice to their life, something not familial in the slightest that sated their more secret urges and put their mind at ease. There was nothing wrong with it.

It was his Boss’s job to take care of the mood of his employees and sexing Leo up was something Donatello was very eager to do, it feeds his own needs. He just has to stay carefully to the other side of the fence called “endearment.” His mind was already filled with only his brothers. He didn’t have to get romantically involved with one of them. Don knew himself enough; actually, he was able to surf in the situation without getting knocked out of his board, but he knew that getting closer when he was already so weak to Leo, would make it develop feelings. It wasn’t only that the feelings would distract him and get in the way of the job. If everything went as well as he expected with their next mission, he wouldn’t have to make his brothers work anymore afterward. Also, for that specific mission, Leo wouldn’t be able to whore himself, not with Don working next to him and the bracelet.

To be less effective wasn’t what was bothering him the most now. In the last decade, he had been teased to death by April and Mikey and Leo himself about how possessive and jealous he was. It wasn’t even true. Don did nothing to deserve such quips. If how he acted so far was for them a proof of what April called an unhealthy obsession, Don knew it was only the iceberg’s tip. He had in him a much darker possessiveness potential. He bet that at least Raph knew it and appreciated how Donatello kept himself in check. 

It was even harder to restrain himself when Leon had been so beautiful, trembling under his hand while Don was driving him slowly toward a climax. 

After their time in the bathroom, Don had found himself in great spirit and with a very steeled focus. It had also allowed him to stay patient as he had passed his brothers in an interview. He hadn’t insisted that hard on Raph; there was no need to distress him. But he did ask Raph about what April told him. She was so a pest; since day one! Raph said she asked for the name of his kitten and nothing more. It seemed true; anyway, it was unlikely Raph spoke to April. Leonardo hated her too much and I influenced the other to show the same wariness with her. 

Anyway, April was the last of his concern. He had been slacking lately and now that he got off, he needed to focus on the mission. Mikey was an important piece in the next one. Michelangelo was very sneaky and a master when it was about stealing something, Don learned by first-hand knowledge. Also, he needed to have Mikey on his side, to be sure Leo stayed in line, in the unlikely event Leo decided to rebel. 

Before knocking at Mikey’s door, Don had closed his eyes, his mind replaying images of Leo’s leg spreads, showing off the golden buttplug he gave him. It was enough, he decided. To know only him could make such a hot mess of Leo was enough and he didn’t need more. Mikey could have Leo’s affection when he would be Leo’s soul master.

The word master tingled deliciously in his groin, running up his spin, turning into a pleasant shiver. He wasn’t removing anything from Mikey and would not even try if that means Mikey would stop acting like an emo-kid and run away and worry them. Michelangelo would feed Leonardo’s mothering side and Don would quench Leo’s thirst for being bent into submission; the dark streak he knew Leo had the first time he saw him peeling a potato with a quiet smile. 

It was another bright side to having trained his brothers to be merciless assassins; it was making the game much more dangerous, but it was also meaning that Leo could take whatever Don was giving to him. Leo was tough and fearless and so, the perfect playmate for Donatello. 

But still, he needed to make Mikey understand to respect more boundaries and with that resolution, he knocked at the door. 

“Micheal? Can I have a word with you?”

Mikey unlocked the door almost immediately before returning to cower in his bed. Don stepped in, scanning the messy room. Maybe he should try again to get a cleaning lady.

“Leonardo is finally resting,” he announced. After having studied the surroundings, his gaze landed on Mikey. “I would greatly appreciate it if you don’t disturb him. Leon looked like...needing some good sleep. I put him in bed.”

He licked his lips, his eyes never leaving Mikey’s and this one quipped back quickly. 

“Of course. I want Leo to be happy and healthy.” The nervosity poured from Mikey and Don wondered why. He was acting nice, didn't he?

“I’m glad! We both agreed to this!”Donatello did his best for his grin to not look strained too much. He wanted Mikey as quiet and sated as Leo. “Leon and I went on a similar agreement.” To sit on that healthy hazard that was Mikey’s bed was asking him an effort, but he already did a few years ago, right? He can do it again, to show Mikey how important was their talk to get his full attention. “As you may know, I care deeply for Leon. As for all of you.” His grin widened. “But I suppose your instinct noticed that...Leon is...special to me?” he tried, raising an eyebrow.

Mikey, nodded, seriously.

Sucking in a deep breath, Don sat on Mikey’s bed, crossing his hand under his chin. 

“If you understood that, it means you’re ready for a higher kind of training.” Don knew it wasn’t really making sense, but he was smart enough to know what Mikey wanted to hear. “Tomorrow we have a very important interview. Failure isn’t acceptable.” He waited a moment, the time his words sank into Mikey’s mind. “This is very important for me, for our family. I need you Michael to make it a success.”

Mikey nodded again.

“It’s been a while since I didn’t supervise your training. I’m lacking in my big brother’s duty. I’m very sorry, Micheal if you feel I had neglected you.” He plastered another smile on his face. Expressing feelings, as simple as regret was always taking a toll on him. “This is probably our last contract. It will be a very dangerous and tricky one, but that would earn us a lot of money. I need to make sure you are ready for it. I know Leon trained you well. I have full trust in him and his skills.” He took another breather. He wanted Mikey to realize that whatever happened before, the huge fight he got with Leonardo the week before, was forgotten. “Let’s go downstairs.”

On his way to the Dojo, he took Raph as well and after about ninety minutes of classical training, they went into Don’s office. 

“I thought about it,” Don explained. “They are looking for new staff, but we need to show in which field we are competent. But it’s not only that. Our jobs must allow us to meet different people to widen our chance to know someone knowing something. You Raph, I think it’s pretty obvious what you are good for.” Don’s eyes ran down Raph’s bulky body. “But you are also competent in any task a janitor could do. I will explain to them that since you got an accident, you are unable to talk, but you understand simple instructions. I bet they wouldn’t mind an employee, not too chatty.”

Raph looked down, petting his cat and for a very short time, guilt stab Don again. Raph was a simple mind, happy with simple pleasures. Don’s schemes and contracts were too much for him. There was nothing he wanted more than to provide a quiet existence to Raph. So far, contracts had piled up so much, he didn’t find a good spot to stop. But that contract money, plus their savings would be sufficient for them to lead a good life. Don could still work and manage some business remotely from home. To be idle the remainder of his life wasn’t like him. But his brothers would be able to lead their more hedonistic lifestyle.

Because, since the beginning, this was the goal: assuring his brother a safe and happy life. 

“For you Mikey, the possibilities are as many as Leon’s.” It was very important Mikey knew he was appreciated. He didn’t know a lot about drug addicts, but knew they were people dealing with self-esteem issues and from a dysfunctional family. To stop him from taking drugs and so avoid Mikey from overdosing again, he needed to be praised more and to know Don valued and trusted him. “You can cook, you can serve, but what I truly see for you, to reveal your true potential is to be a croupier.”

Mikey was listening, eyes wide and Don made him practice what he could say and answer for an hour or so. 

“And for Leo,” Mikey asked after. By his uneasy demeanor, Don could see Mikey hesitated to say aloud his thoughts. “Will he...did he need the bracelet again? I mean, he would work with us, right? There’s no need!”

Don’s expression was sour a moment but by all stiff his brothers had turned, he felt the need to placate them. They all bothered too much for a safety device.

“Leonardo understood why he wore a bracelet. We had a talk and he didn’t protest about it.” It was kind of true and his mind again pictured Leo purring in his arms. “As my closest associate, his behavior must be flawless and so, it had been for me a huge disappointment to see how careless he had been. But as I said, I discussed it with him and he went to bed with a very soothed mind.” He gazed intensely at Michelangelo. Donatello wasn’t dumb; he knew that Leo acting so recklessly was Mikey’s fault. Don wanted Mikey to understand that he had already done enough and to plead for Leo’s punishment being lifted was very uncalled for. 

“Leon and I’s businesses are only us to discuss. I would appreciate it if you didn’t meddle in it.” It was a warning, but for Mikey to not see it as Don not respecting his word, he added: “I know you and Leonardo have a special relationship. I will let you be as I said, if you don’t rub it in my face. There are things as an older brother I don’t want to see.” Don knew Mikey knew that incest wasn’t really bothering Don either, but Donatello convinced himself it wasn’t the same. He always knew Leonardo wasn’t his brother when Mikey believed Leo was his mom for about two years. Don had always wanted Leo more or less consciously. “But you have to admit as well I have a special relationship with Leonardo, too. We grew up very close and so, we share things that I won’t rub in your face too, as part of the deal.”

Mikey frowned in confusion. 

“For Leonardo’s safety and also for you both to learn to take me seriously, I won’t remove the bracelet,” Don stated to make himself clear. He licked his lips a little too dry and thought of Leo again, so wet. It would have been good to kiss his feverish, sweaty skin, knowing very well that he was the cause of Leo being so needy. But he had to focus now and make them understand. He just finally reached the ease he always wanted to get with that bracelet. Leonardo was safe, Leonardo was at reach and that assurance was soothing in Donatello such a primal hunger that he knew he couldn't let go of it; not so early, anyway. Maybe when Leonardo would be better trained. “And for each time you talk to me about it, I will leave it for one more month.”

Mikey glanced at Raph and Don folded his arms. If Mikey waited for Raph to step in and protest against Donnie’s decision, Mikey knew very poorly Raph. Raphael never told him no because Raph with his innocent soul knew Don best. He knew Don was always right and all that he did was for them.

As expected, Raph didn’t protest and a wave of intense satisfaction washed over Donatello. He was in perfect control and when that mission would be over, they would have a perfect life. 

It was now dinner time and Donatello stood up. He was hungry, something very rare for him who usually has a very low appetite. 

“What is on the menu today, Michael?”

Mikey turned flustered and fidgety and Don raised an eyebrow.

“We put that guy, you know which one, right?”Mikey was stammering, turning his fingers. “We put him in the freezer as you told us to do.”

“So?” He had completely forgotten about that body and Mikey just harsh his mellow. He made a jerky gesture.“I asked what we will eat tonight.”

“Well, hm, is that salmon okay for you?”Mikey looked down. “I bought some fresh one at the market this morning because you know...Leo likes salmon.”

“Salmon is good.” Don nodded in approval. “We have to eat it if we don’t want it to come to a waste. I doubt Leo would eat it. He seemed pretty tired last time I checked.” An image of Leo spread on his bed, nuzzling Donnie’s bathrobe flashed in his mind. “Save some for him later in case he woke up, but I forbid you to disturb his sleep.” An idea crept into his mind. “Tomorrow, Leo will be in special training too. We want to be left alone.” He made a step forward, putting intent in his voice and stare. “You spend the last ten days clinging to him. I need some bonding time with Leon too.” His eyes flickered to Raph, who was still looking at the floor. His big brother seemed to be more and more sullen lately and Don would be lying if he said it wasn’t bothering him. “Anyway, I do believe you and Raph have some issues to set and we do as well. What’s about a movie tonight?”

Awkwardly, Don landed a hand on Mikey’s shell. It was necessary to give affection displays twice, April had said and well, April had been so right about Leo. He wondered if it was twice overall or twice by brother? Twice by brother seemed redundant and so, he did the same to Raph with his other hand. Now he could check that from his to-do list. 

“We will hang together as brothers tonight.” It would make Mikey shut up about how Don never paid attention to them. How ungrateful it was when there wasn’t a day he worked for them.

Mikey looked at him with the stupor written on his face, but a grin started to appear. 

“It would be very nice, bro.”

Don ate dinner with his family, something that hadn't happened for how many years? He couldn’t tell. But he knew for sure he never sat in front of the TV, as he was brainless. He still did, staring blankly at but the whole movie, his mind was busy playing another, a much more kinky-and interesting one. His nerve stayed on the verge, wondering if at any time Leo would show up. Leo’s bedroom was just across the living room and he braced himself to not show any arousal on his features. To stay there with his family was mandatory; anyway, he had nothing better to do at the moment.

When the damn movie was over, Mikey asked eagerly if he wanted to watch a second one, but Don said he was tired and had something to plan. That part at least was true. He went directly to his bedroom and opened his laptop.

He knew exactly what kind of training he and Leo could work on. Eagerly, he opened his laptop and typed kinbaku in the Google search bar.

****

“Here you are. I was wondering when Sleeping Beauty would be awake.”

Leonardo was climbing down the stairs, breathtaking in his black outfit, but Don kept his face in a neutral mask. Leo must not see how much his only presence affected Donatello so much. He almost bit his fist to have left the word “beauty” slips. Leo was arrogant enough.

“I do hope the rest did you some good. Did you sleep well?” he continued casually.

“I did.” Leo seemed not in a mood for the small talk. It was fitting with Don’s plans anyway. He couldn’t wait to turn up the heat. “So, you want us to train together?”Leonardo asked, a hint of suspicion in his tone. “It's been a while.”

“We will do a lot of things together, from now on.” Donatello released a puff, knowing his brother got the innuendo. 

The rest of their conversation was unreal to him, too distracted by his real objective to care about the foreplay. They talked briefly, and then, sparred and the only reason Don got the upper hand despite his brother being a superior fighter was he was too invested in pinning him down. The defeat wasn’t on the table. Leonardo was also nervous and confused thankfully, making him win before he self-combust from the wait. 

“Not bad, not bad for a guy who barely trained with a stick, but now, we are about to train in your specialty, what you have truly mastered.” This is what he had waited for the last 24 hours. To not just jump Leo and do it was acting from him so much self-restraint. Donatello tried to convince himself the reward would be better.

Leo frowned.

“Throwing blades and shuriken?” he proposed and he snorted. Leo’s innocence was almost cute.

“Sex?” Leo trailed off. 

“Oh you got me there,” Don replied. The fact was that indeed Leo was much better than a great lay. “I admit; your body expresses itself deliciously. But that isn't what I had in mind.” Leo's disappointment was obvious and Don beamed internally. “Sex will be the reward,” he added, his voice hoarse with desire barely held back. 

On the ground, Don picked up a box and pulled out from it meters of red rope.

“Will you do your Houdini trick with me? I’ve always wondered how you did it” He pulled on the cord, as to test if it was sturdy, even if he already did a few hours earlier when he found the ropes in the basement.“I watched a step-by-step tutorial all night long. I know exactly how to tie it.”

Leonardo wasn’t moving and Don felt his heart race faster. What if Leo backed down? Don wouldn’t go as far as to force him, but the need to see him as his mercy was so tangible it ached to his very bones. He needed to trigger Leo’s pride to make him more likely to accept. 

“Are you actually afraid to fail?” he asked.“You should not think so lowly of yourself, Leon. I’m sure this will be a piece of cake for you. Impress me and I will reward you.” He sucked in a deep breath. “Please,” he added. He really needed this to escalate to violence. Leonardo has an inner sub and a nurturing nature, but at the same time puberty gifted him with a very alluring body, it gave him a very hot temper. All of this was to prove to Leo he could trust and rely on Don and should seek satisfaction only from him. Donnie has all that Leo needs. 

Leo sat on the chair, releasing a shaky breath and Donatello forgot everything for a moment, as he tied his brother up as he learned to do in the tutorial. He should show off confidence, and also try to dim the arousal and excitement, probably lightening his features. This is what he always wanted, and so must be very careful to not scare Leo off. “Is it too uncomfortable?” Donnie inquired “Is it too tight?” 

He spread Leo’s legs the best he could, in an opening an inviting angle for him.

Leo shook his head and he used it as a green light. Don’s fingers grazed every scute of Leo’s body. The red rope was standing out so beautifully on the green scales. To not palm himself right there was a testimony of self-control that made Don tenfold hard. To resist his urges had always turned him overwhelmed with a feeling of absolute power, making him so much hornier. 

“So beautiful. So perfect.” Don’s hunger was probably printed on his face, but he didn’t care. Leo was clever enough to get a clue. “There’s something missing, though.” He snatched the duck tape he kept for the occasion. A mute Leo was a consenting Leo.

“Now, it’s even better. I wish you could see yourself. You’re breathtaking, Leo.” The black eyes were burning holes in him through the blue fabric of the bandana. Leo was angry, but helpless right now. Don could take advantage of the situation totally. Anyway, he knew Leo would be a puddle of hormones very soon. He needed to keep a record of the transformation. “I hope you don’t mind me recording this?”

Don opened his phone. Whatever happened after, he would keep a memory to jerk off on. Prostitutes weren't cutting it. Leonardo was the absolute best. No one could get Don off as good as him. Besides, the video could be also used as blackmail material if one day Leo tried to bite the hand caressing him.

“Ten minutes, Leon. Escape from those ropes before ten minutes and I will give you a mind-blowing reward in my bathroom afterward,” he declared, lighting up a new cigarillo. He needed to get composure.

Don’s horniness must be too much apparent, but he wasn’t even able to care, too far gone. Anyway, it wasn’t like Leonardo could judge him. Leonardo was the most sensual creature he knew. And Leon was HIS. To not roar aloud how powerful and blissful he felt was hard. Speaking of which, Don realized he wasn't the only one aroused.

“Are you hard?” With his shoes, Don pointed to Leo’s groin, between his indecently spread and tied legs. There was the hint of a bulge there. Donatello’s mouth went dry with desire as he pictured what was under the pants. “I bet you are wet, too. You are such a kinky, sexy, horny creature, Leonardo. And needy, too.”At his own ears, he could hear his voice thick and raspy. “Needy for me, wet for me.”

Don got closer, dominating Leon from his height. The gap of two inches in their height, with their similar size, was making the balance of power even between them, when they were both standing up, but for now, Leo couldn’t stand, tied to a chair and such a horny mess, he couldn’t probably think straight.

Leo could try to resist and Don knew his brother was an excellent fighter, the fact was the resistance was futile. There was no way Don let him go. He never intended to do it and after the time in the bathroom, he was even more positive about it.

“Be a good boy and get out of the ropes, then I will reward you.” 

Leo drew his head back, showing his long neck and Don gasped, devouring with his eyes the display offered in front of him. So vulnerable, so at reach. He could stretch his hand and pull a little more of Leo’s shirt to see his bite mark; his propriety seal. His eyes ran down Leo’s form and erotic, wicked images flashed in his mind. 

He wanted more, he wanted to cover him in propriety seal for Mikey to get it without Don having to make a fool of himself and spoke it aloud.

“Such a glorious sight. I wonder why I didn’t try it sooner.” He loomed over him, stroking Leo’s cheek. Leo needed to be comforted as a reward for his docile behavior. The black eyes were shining, full of fire and question and he felt his cock twitch. Damn, how much he wanted him. How did he manage to live without that until then?  
  
“I always wanted to see you like this, with those gorgeous eyes of yours staring at me like this, pleading, imploring, full of me…” He leaned closer, his desire taking the best of him to murmur words that had always burned his lips. “I want you to only look at me.”

But at the same moment, Leo broke free and Don stayed there, fascinated. Leo broke free despite how tightly tied he had been bound and his desire reached a peak. As a genius, he needed to get challenged and for that, Leon was right in his alley. On the floor, Leo peeled off angrily the duck tape on his mouth, but stayed silent, waiting. Waiting for his command.

“Amazing; even if you looked so damn good restrained...”Thank god, Leo had managed it; Don really wanted to reward him. As expected, Leonardo wasn’t disappointing. He bent over and opened Leo’s fist having caught the shine of a blade. A razor blade, but how? He grinned, preferring to keep the mystery. “You are truly resourceful and skilled. I’m very proud to call you my brother, associate and soulmate.” His voice slightly cracked. Leo was on the ground, panting hard as he had run a marathon or got fucked senseless by a football team. So vulnerable, so ready to get messed up and owned. 

To own Leo was the reason he dragged him along at the Ramen shop, because he always wanted him. He just said he was his soulmate and it was more than he had intended, but it was true. Why he wanted Leo so much wasn’t even something he could grasp. It had always lingered under the surface, sometimes stronger than others. He wouldn't say it had been love at first sight, but lust certainly, even if he has a child body at the time. Lately, it was such an overwhelming need, he couldn't stay passive anymore. It was Leon’s fault; he so teased him in the last three years. The realization struck him hard; Leo had teased him because he wanted him. Leo knew what Don wanted and he tried to tell him he didn’t have to hold back.

He had been holding back for the business and family's sake and Leo and his own sake. If Don fell in love, he knew he would get slowly obsessed by Leonardo and every time Leo wouldn’t be there, Don would be in pain. Pain was the feeling he was the most determined to never feel, but now with the door opened by April, he saw the possibility and the situation from a new angle. Leo was used to whore himself and having sex without any feeling. He even have sex with Mikey, without being in love with him. If Don was able to sex Leo up, to give him thrills, Leo wouldn’t develop feelings either. It would be a strict dominant/submissive relationship, without even full intercourse to stay cautious. It would sate their darkest, more hidden desires and outside the bedroom, their relationship as brothers and associates would be even better than it actually was. 

Don picked Leo up gently, hiding his feelings and his hunger behind a bland smile. He felt like a wolf in sheep's clothing, and Leo must have the same reasoning at the moment. They were so much alike, so much complementary, two puzzle pieces fitting together.

“Let's reward you.”

Leonardo didn't protest and a feeling of legitimacy grew in Donatello. Leo really wanted this, because Leon was too smart to not know what would happen. If Leo wasn’t fighting him, it meant he was fine with it, fine being messed up and owned and Don wouldn’t disappoint him. When they met Raph upstairs, Don’s order was straightforward as he dragged Leo along with him.

“I want no one on the floor. If you know what is good for Mikey, you will tell him to not even try to spy on us.”

He didn’t want Leo to be distracted by someone else. Leonardo must be solely focused on him, his mind full of Donatello while Don was slowly owning every cell of his body. He wanted Leo to feel the loss of control, be fully aware of Don taking it over. He didn’t even wait for an answer from Raph, too used to Raphael’s blind obedience. Anyway, there could be a dragon breathing blazing fire and fusion metal on his path, Don would walk over it. In his pants, his cock was throbbing, trapped painfully. The poor thing wouldn’t have any relief for a while, but to win over his own body had always thrilled Donatello to the core.

“Don’t be so harsh,” Leo muttered, but his voice was weak, his whole body was. In his hands, Don could perceive the tremor running into Leonardo. Leo was saying that when he was impatient as well to get his “reward” the hypocrite.

To be sure to not meet Mikey on their way up and him hijacking Leo’s attention, Donatello used his private staircase. He tried to slow his pace, to look more composed and less thirsty for it, but how tight he clenched Leo’s hand must have given him away. In his bedroom, he lets go of the hand. Leo was in the wolf’s lair but Don needed Leo to walk to the bathroom from his own free wills. Last time, Leo had been in shock, but now he has to make the conscient choice to undress and lay in the bath. He had to hand himself over willingly to Donatello.

Leonardo scanned his surroundings and Don let him be. Leo’s curiosity was natural but to show him that the bedroom wouldn’t be their playground, he opened the bathroom door and walked into it. He wondered for a brief moment if he should lit up some candles. He has some made with essential oils and he knew Leo enough to know it was the kind of girly thing his brother was into. There were some for relaxation and even some supposed to be aphrodisiacs, but then, he decided against it. It would look too romantic. 

In the middle of the night, as the scenario had been decided in his mind, Don had drilled on his bathroom wall a swing arm makeup mirror. It was fucking up the decoration, but then, he could have a greater view of what would happen between Leo’s legs.

Next to the bathtub was the Louis Vuitton buttplug box and next to it, a suitcase, Leo’s and he pleasure chest, filled with toys that he made make custom from that famous Swedish sex toy brand. The original set had been made for more human, heterosexual sex. So, Donatello had asked to add a few special items that would bend Leo into more submission and twist in pleasure. How convenient being rich was.

But why Leonardo wasn’t there? He spun around, to call his brother. Was he shy? He should not leave him the time to second guess the situation.

“Come here,” Don leaned on the bathroom frame door. “Don’t you want your reward?” he asked, his voice in a low-pitch.

Leonardo was still standing in the middle of the room and Don’s heart missed a beat when he noticed his brother was looking to the bed with expectancy. There was no way they played their game into his bed. First, it would look too much like love-making and send Leo the wrong message. Then, himself would think back about it every time he lay down, craving to have Leo under his bedsheets every night. Don was already sleeping around 4 hours a night only. If he started jerking off and sniffing the pillow next to him, he would get sick and getting sick meant being pulled off from work. 

“Can we do it in bed?” Leo asked and Don restrained to facepalm. He should not have let go of Leo’s hand and dragged him into the bathroom.

“For what I have in mind, the bath would be better,” Don assured. “It could be...messy. The bath would be more practical.” Leo seemed dubious again and Don tried a more suggestive approach. Leo wasn’t trained to obey orders not job-related. He was nervous and disoriented. Donatello needed to be patient and not unleash his dominant needs too soon. The important thing was Leo knowing what he was getting into and fully consent to it. 

“You know how you are. You’ll be so wet, you’ll ruin my mattress.” Don licked his lips. It was a crucial moment. Leo could object that Don was exaggerating. Leo could protest that the bath was uncomfortable and that Don was enough of a wealthy bastard to buy a new mattress and some plastic cover. The mood could be killed right now and Don wondered if he could win Leo again after an argument so early in that new relationship he wanted Leo and he be in.

Don gazed intensely at Leo for him to understand that it was a “Take it or Go back” offer.

“Okay,” Leo agreed in a shaky breath. “I hope you have nothing too weird in mind.”

Don gave him a complacent smile. It wasn’t anything weird, since it was about fulfilling their fantasies and so he could reply honestly.  
  
“I won’t do anything overcrossing your comfort zone, I'm sure of it.” He knew very well how kinky Leo was. “But of course, if I do, you know you can stop everything with a single word,” he said, a hand on his chest to show how serious and genuine he was. Of course, he wouldn’t force Leo, but he doubted his brother has limits narrower than his own.

“Undress, please,” With a jerky move, Don pulled on his necktie, to lose it a little. His jacket was downstairs but to be even more comfortable, he unbuttoned his vest. “Even your bandana.” 

He didn’t even turn to see if Leo was obeying him, certain he was and he climbed in the bath. He finally looked toward his brother and as expected, Leo was naked, as their mutant turtle form could be. His gaze zeroed in on Leo’s knife still tied at his thigh, but Don didn’t protest. The knife was Leo’s comfort object and he knew better than to insist and remove it from him. Leo would feel too uneasy and Don wanted him relaxed. Anyway, it was fair, Leo wore the bracelet too, Don’s comforting item, the beautiful lock on his treasure. 

“Come here,” he asked gently, motioning to Leo to get in the bathtub. 

With still something slightly tense in his demeanor, but the important thing was that he complied with Don’s request, getting in the bathtub of his own free will, giving Don’s absolute reign over his body and soul.

But Leonardo seemed to have still a mind of his own as he tried to embrace him from the front and Don snatched his two wrists to place him in the same position they were last time. 

“Don’t move. Let yourself go. It’s about spoiling you.” It was more about indulging himself with his own need for control but Leo didn’t need to know that. He would understand quickly enough. Gently, he rubbed Leo’s arms up and down, feeling the tension diminish under his fingers. 

“Why are you doing that? What got into you?”Leo asked.

It was a legitimate question and so Don replied, slightly distracted by trying to control his heartbeat.

“This is me trying to show I care.” He grazed the bite mark with his lips. “Can I?”

The question was all but innocent and for the second time, Leonardo yielded to the gentle assault. He nodded and Don was actually glad Leo couldn’t have a look on his face right now. 

“Spread your legs.”

Leo did as he had been told but there was still a reserve in him that Donatello wanted to melt.

“Will we do the same thing as yesterday?” Leo asked and Don wondered briefly if he should gag him. But he held back his annoyance. Leonardo’s anxiety must be soothed, to keep him in the mood.

“Similar, but not quite,” he replied. “Don’t you trust me?”Donatello gave the others' green-colored bicep a light squeeze.The idea Leo could not trust him was unbearable, but he managed to control how bad he could feel about it. “Today...I want to go further with you if you are okay with it,” he murmured huskily. “I want to know if we are compatible. If it could work. It’s a trial for both of us,” he added for Leo to understand Don was also giving of himself in the process. “You need to give me over the control of your own body.” He nuzzled him, knowing that the words could scare his brother off. “Can you do that for me?”

Leo didn’t reply but his whole body relaxed.

“Yes, that’s right. Breath in. Breath out,” he encouraged. Patience was one of Donatello’s strongest points. He had borne the loneliness of the private school and very slowly built a business and an estate for themselves. Taming the wild stallion that Leon was would be less long and even more rewarding. “Now, open the box and do as you did yesterday. The Louis Vutton’s one.”

Hungrily, Don watched as Leo stretched his arm to take and open the box and pull out the golden plug. He wanted to catch any sign of eagerness and excitement in his brother as Leonardo breached himself with it. 

“Easy Leon, I got you,” he encouraged in a soft voice, his thumb rubbing the bracelet. For a moment, he thought of getting a collar to match with. Not to shock Leo with, only something that he could wear maybe with Don’s name on it? Leo could wear it under his clothes and then, Don would see it in their private moment. Well, Mikey could see it too, but it was maybe a good thing, to remind Mikey who was Leonardo’s real owner, his real partner. 

The chastity belt nagged him at moment but Leo's long and loud moan kicked him back in the reality. Don could be a discreet man, he loved how vocal Leo could be. 

“That’s right, give you pleasure. I’m right here,” he encouraged. Leo was already hard and leaking and he grinned. Leo was so sensitive, so reactive to him. It was affecting Donatello himself too much.“You already made a pool in the bottom of the bathtub. You are so lewd, Leon.”

“Donnie,” Leo babbled. “Donnie baby, kiss me,” Leo was twisting his head, and he tried to turn his body to grip Don and Donatello tensed. If Leo landed a hand on him his self-control would fly through the window. He was already almost trembling from the effort the self-restraint required to him. So kisses weren’t on the table either. But he had to give something without sending a wrong message and without thinking, bite hard on Leo’s already wounded shoulder. Softshell turtles weren’t supposed to bite their partners. Well, in the wild, softshell mated between themselves and a bit could lead to an infected wound and then death. so it was about species preservation. But Don since the longest he could remember always had to fight an urge to bite and mark Leonardo. It had the merit to surprise and keep Leonardo still. 

He kept his jaw clenched on the shoulder, glancing down at what was happening between Leo’s legs. His brothers were pulling harder on his cock, wailing, his arousal increased by the bite. When he noticed Leo’s cock was twitching and leaking too much, it was too late. He released his hold to command Leo to stop, but it was too late, Leo came, thrashing over Donnie. 

Despite being displeased by his partner's too quick release, he kept caressing his arms, keeping him in place. When Leo was done, Donnie gently pushed Leo to be able to stand up. An idea just popped in his mind, to help him to stay grounded. 

“I have to change, you damped my pants.” Leo was looking at him through hooded eyes, his breath labored and his face flushed. Thankfully, he was too caught in his afterglow to suggest Don to be naked. To be naked was impossible. He needed clothes layers between him and Leo’s enticing body. 

“Clean yourself, I will be right back. Don’t think it’s over!”

Leonardo nodded lazily, his gaze zeroing on Don’s groin, probably noticing the bulge and Don with a strained smile left the bathroom. Now that he was alone, he made a beeline to his night table, pulling out the cocaine he bought from April. Cocaine would improve his confidence, his focus and calm down his own cock, painfully hard. He hesitated a moment between what was the priority, masturbating or snorting or changing his damped pants. 

He decided the drug was the thing he wanted the least to be walked on with and, while the water was running in the bathroom, he did three shorts lines very quickly. He rubbed his nostrils and looked at himself worryingly in the mirror. If Leonardo noticed he was high again, just after Mikey’s whole drug debacle story, he would never hear the end of it. The odd Leo would notice was low; Don would be behind him and he was very used by now to act very normally with. Besides around him, Leo’s mommy radar was off.

He jerked himself raw, in a hurry to finish himself before Leo turned impatient or curious. When he was done, he opened his right night table drawer and wiped himself clean. He had everything he needed in his night tables. Donatello was a very well organized mutant. Everything that was sweet memories like pictures or the old drawing pinned on his dormitory board were in the left’s one. What he needed to be effective and get rid of counterproductive desires-horniness, self-doubt,exhaustion-were in the right one.

“Donnie?” Leo called, arousal still perceptible in his voice. “What are you doing?”

“I’m coming.” Don walked to his wardrobe, quickly changing his pants. He put the one with the suspenders, to be comfortable. “I’m grooming myself for you,” he lied on an impulse even if it wasn’t fully a lie. A new idea came to him and he put on his leather gloves. It would make another layer between him and Leo, a layer preventing Leo’s heat to reach him. 

He gave himself a critical look before joining Leo; he looked like a master indeed; proper and elegant with his white dress shirt. He tied up his necktie again. It was the critical point of the game and Don had to set the rules right from the start and the boundaries.

“I’m here.”

Don sounded calm, almost detached to be sure Leo understood well what he was about to say and didn't overreact.

Leonardo turned his head languidly. In the eight minutes or so Don had been in his bedroom, Leo didn’t move, except to clean himself as Don had asked him. He even kept the buttplug, he noted. For his good behavior, he needed to be praised. 

“You waited for me like a good boy, Leon,” he said while attaching his cufflink. “But…”

“You put on some leather gloves? So sexy,” Leonardo’s black eyes shone lustfully. “And that whole suit.” His eyes pried on him and Don felt embarrassed despite the admiration. “You are truly some eye-candy.” He licked his lips. “It would be so much fun.”

Don cleared his throat. It was his game. Leo couldn’t take control of it. Leonardo could be smart, he was too much led by his heart and his cock to be trusted. Then, they would both end hurt in the process.

“You came without my permission.” His tone was sharp, but soft at the edge for Leo to not turn susceptible. “I’m the one who tells you when you could release.”

Leonardo frowned, arousal dimming on his face and Don quickly continued as he walked toward the bath.

“I hope you will hold it better for the next one. I wasn’t done with you.” Don wasn't there to give Leo, short-lived, cheap thrills. It was a serious game and Don was ready to pour a lot of himself in.

He needed to move fast and do every move in a good sequence. The limit must be steadily pushed further, in crescendo. The first move was to open the other box, to distract Leo.

“Look like I got for us.” He returned into the bath, in the same position, but Leo turned himself to look at him. Don decided to let Leo be for a few minutes. If he was too controlling, all the time, he would spoil the mood. He only has to keep his reddened eyes with dilated pupils on the box and not rub his snout. “I bought it for me and you only, so please, don’t share them with Mikey.”

Before Leo could answer, he opened the suitcase, showing the pricey stainless steel sex toys.

“What? Nothing in gold?”Leo taunted and Don barely held back a tssk of disapproval. 

“Look how elegant they are,” he insisted, trying to focus on bringing Leo to his level. “They aren’t only luxurious. They had been designed to strengthen your pleasure and enjoy longer, stronger orgasms. Let's play a game. There are 13 items in that suitcase. Choose one and I will choose one.”

“One I will use on you?”Leonardo asked, taking detail of the suitcase’s content. 

Don shook his head and he gently reached for his brother's cheek. He had seen that question coming and prepared an answer.

“Let’s take care of you first,” Don whispered. “I’m not here for my own needs, but to entertain you.” He could feel Leonardo's confusion and he explained, in his most smooth voice. “I neglected you and treated you poorly by sending you gifts instead to have some quality time with you.” Don was more or less believing what he was saying, using his brothers’ accusations against him from the last three years. “You often said I’m self-centered and selfish. I want to prove you are wrong. We are here because I want to show how much I care about you. I want to give you pleasure. I want to know that I can at least give you that.”

Leo was looking at him solemnly.

“Don, I..I didn’t know that you feel that way.” Regrets were lacing Leo’s voice. “I’m deeply sorry if you were upset by what Mikey and I said. I…”

Don didn’t need Leo to get teary. It would ruin the atmosphere. It was time for the second move.

“I chose that.” He waved the elegant shackles. It would set the issue with Leonardo being too grabby. “Could you please give me your hands,” he said in a very gentlemanly manner. Donatello knew his voice was one of his greatest assets. April praised him a few times for it, whatever it was to mock him or not. Leonardo had always seemed very sensitive to it, from what he could have told. His heart raced faster, but not to the point it showed on his face as Leo stretched his hands. After a quick reflection, Don changed his mind, he knew a position that would even keep Leo’s hands and mouth far from him. “Turn here. Yes, like that,” he approved as Leo returned to his first position, shell against Don’s plastron. “Cross your hands behind your head.”

Don was now so upper aware of everything that he noticed the hesitation that lasted the time of a heartbeat in Leo before his brother complied. 

His whole body quivering in anticipation, he locked the shackle on his brother's wrist, one over the skin and the other over the metal of the bracelet. 

“There,” he murmured, running his gloved hand down the bridge of Leo’s side. Unexpectedly, Leonardo giggled and Don understood his brother was ticklish. It lit up a new hunger in him, to know more about Leonardo and all his weak spots. He gave a peck on the bitemark, slightly concerned by the blood oozing. He should be more careful, they could play a dom and sub game, he didn’t want to hurt him for real. 

The pain wasn’t his objective, bending Leon into submission was his only goal. For him to have the peace of mind, and for Leo’s own sake, to not run in trouble and stay safe. Leo would be much happier and so Mikey and Raph if he and Don stopped to be at odds. He knew he was partially responsible for it since the Champagne night, but it was three years old. It was time they moved on.

“Did you choose one? Or…” He ran his hands down Leo’s plastron and his brother's whole body trembled with need. The gloves-or the cocaine?- and the fact Leo was restrained was turning him bolder, daring to caress his partner more. “Or do you want me to choose?”

“You..you can choose…” Leo panted. His cock was already hard as steel and leaking, Don noticed with a beam of pride. “Good answer,” Donnie praised, kissing again the bite mark. It was what he had expected Leonardo would say. “I thought we could skip right to an advanced level, don’t you think so? We both know you aren’t a blushing virgin.”

Don cursed himself mentally for the clumsiness of his sentence. Leo’s first time had been gang rape and it was very distasteful for him to recall that to Leo. Even more when he wanted Leo’s full attention on him.

“I prefer to think we both had our first time together,” he cooed. Indeed, Don’s first time had been with a prostitute and even if it was more pathetic than tragic, it wasn’t any better. “What about this?” He picked up from the suitcase a beaded rod. “Have you ever tried urethral probing?”

“I had.”

Leo’s answer wasn't the one Don had expected-hoped for-and he couldn’t hide well enough his displeasure. 

“How so? With who?” he demanded to know. “Was it while you were whoring yourself?” he spat.

“Calm down. I did it with Mikey because he wanted to try it out. I did it on him.” By his colder tone, Don could tell Leo was borderline angry. But Don was pissed as well. To get rubbed in his face Leon fooled around was a splash of icy water.

“From now please remember your holes are all mine,” he hissed, tightening his grip on Leo’s inside tight. “I forgive you because I didn’t claim them so far, but now, I do.” 

He wondered if Leo would fight over this, but Leo didn’t.

“What about the job?” he asked quietly instead and there was a hitch in his breath as he was fighting against an overwhelming emotion or something.

“You can be sure I prefer to lose a contract than having you fucking around,” Don retorted sharply. “We both know you could avoid it but did it anyway to crawl under my skin. You know I couldn’t stand it!”

As at each time Don was losing his temper, Leo became horny. He let some chirping sounds and rocked his hips forward in what seemed a reflex move. A victorious thrill ran through Donatello. He just claimed Leo as his and forbade him to have sex with anyone else than Mikey. Now, he would gladly add Mikey to the ban list, feeling greedier at each new acceptance from Leonardo. But that dam contract was tying his hands. Mikey really did a smart move that day, using the fact Don was about to lose his mind with worry to pull Leo at him. What didn’t help was that he couldn’t even try to match Mikey with someone else. He trusted no one out of his family and Raph was out of the question. Poor Raph was already enough of a mess without Mikey. There was April, but Don doubted Mikey could be interested in his friend. 

He poured some lube on Leo’s cock. Leo could self-lubricate, Don wanted to be extra sure the insertion wouldn’t be painful. 

“Don't be scared if it’s hurt a little at first, it’s a normal reaction, but as I slowly push it inside of you, the pleasure will be beyond anything you have ever had before!” Don explained, reciting the words he remembered having read on the website. “The hard stainless steel will create waves of very deep sensations as it glides inside your cores. It’s intended to reach the sweetest, most sensitive areas of your cock. Even little movements can mean a massive pressure inside so you don't need the usual stroking to build into a mind-blowing orgasm!” 

With his right hand, he inserted the rod, holding Leo’s cock with the other. He was glad to have the gloves to not feel and smell later on Leo’s fluids on him. It allowed him to stay cool-headed. “It will also prevent you from reaching climax without my permission,” he added, his voice thick with arousal.

“Dominant bastard,” Leo muttered through his clenched teeth. The sweat was running down his face. Indeed, it was as hot as a furnace and Don himself realized he couldn’t breathe anymore properly. But standing up and lowering the room temperature wasn’t possible. He doubted he could walk with the massive hard-on he had now. The rod was already half-in.

“I didn’t quite catch that. Do you mind repeating,” Don asked in a pretended casual voice as he pushed the rod steadily. He watched like fascinated as the little silver balls on the rod popped past Leo’s slit one by one, making his hips quiver as he accepted that new way of pleasure into his tense body. Leo'stail was shaking too, as it was alive and Don's cock throbbed with need, protesting about being ignored. To win over his own body, while bending Leo's wills was such a high, he doubted any drug could match that.

“Dominant bastard,” Leo stammered again, stubborn and full of pride, but his sentence finished with a long moan as Don pushed it all in. 

“Yeah, I’m a dominant bastard,” Donatello agreed. It was maybe a good moment to be even more outspoken. He pushed and pulled on the handle of the rod a little rougher. Anyway, Leo liked it rough. “And you’re a slutty slave. Make us a perfect match.”

Don felt like purring as Leo trembled and wailed on his lap, rolling his hips and babbling nonsense about Don hitting that spot. He had an even greater visual with the mirror that allowed him to see everything, Leo’s face or Leo’s ass, depending on the angle, when Leo couldn’t see anything from Donnie. He realized his bandana was damped in sweat too. He untied it and wiped his face with it, regretting he couldn’t splash himself some cold water in the face. He was horny as hell, he realized and wondered what he had put himself into. Leo was having a great time, rocking above him, but Don as thrilling it was to have the willpower to hold back was feeling his self-control dimming. It would feel so nice to pull out the ass plug, to shove himself into Leonardo’s and ride that nice ass that was haunting his dreams for about 8 years. Leo begging to be fucked wasn’t helping him at all to stay composed. He bites him again, because every time, it’s turned Leo to stay quiet and docile, and even wetter. If Don continued like that, it wouldn’t ever heal. He bargained with himself it would be the only way he could taste Leo’s flesh without getting too carried away.

“Please…” Leo was begging. “I want more…”

More of what, Don didn't even ask. It was nonsense, anyway, Leon being out of his mind by the too intense pleasure Donie was providing to him. He blocked the pleas, filling his mind with white noises. How long since they were there? Don had lost track of the time. He moved his hand to pull his shirt above his wrist enough to see his watch. It was past 10:00 am and Leo’s damn shift was about to start. How much he hated that Ramen shop took epic height at the moment. He concealed his irritation, telling himself he needed to bust a nut before self-combusting from horniness, so the fasted it was over, the best it was. Leonardo had nothing to complain about; he came twice, in a mind-blowing manner, held gently by him. 

He needed to get Leo off before himself lose his mind. But before that, while he was with the upper hand, he wanted an admission. This what was it was about; entertaining Leo, distract his mind and body, while he gave over his soul and heart in exchange. 

“Do you want to cum, Leon?” he almost roared. His control was starting to slip, shit. “Do you want your release,” he repeated in a more controlled tone. "If you, you have to ask for it."

“Please, please.” Leo was in the begging stage, but it wasn’t enough for Donatello. He needed to level up, a more complete display of submission. “Please,” Leo continued. “I want to cum but with you in me.”

Don drowned away the too tempting-and cursed image. How good Leo felt from the inside was a too vivid memory. He couldn't do that, without turning a mindless beast led by Leo's ass and offering an opening to get hurt again. What he did so far was already a testimony of self-restraint and how much he cared.

“Call me Master.” It was a spur of the moment thing like Don had rarely, but he wanted it, he realized. He doubted Leo would do so, but now, he was thirsty to hear that title coming from Leonardo’s mouth. “Call me Master and I let you cum.” He wisely dismissed the rest of Leo’s request.

“Master!” How easily Leo surrendered surprised Don, but he didn’t linger on it. His own arousal was reaching a peak and he pulled out the rod, giving a few energic pulls on Leo’s hard steel cock, and Leo cum again like a fountain wailing and sobbing and Don held him tight as Leo rolled on his orgasm. He was surfing on his own, not a physical climax, but an ego trip. 

“Say it again!” he asked to get more thrill and Leo complied again, even if it more choked sound and sobs than anything. When Leo stopped trashing and his breath calmed down, Don soothed him with some light touches and caresses to respect Leo's overstimulated body.

“I will clean you,” he said tenderly, taking some wipes. Gently, he cleaned Leo’s plastron and cock. As he was also cleaning the thigh, another idea crept into his mind, totally out of the blue. 

“I told you I wanted to make you mine,” Don said almost dreamily. “You didn’t protest, so that means you are okay with it?”

“Untie me,” Leo demanded, his voice strained. By the mirror, he stared at Don with bedroom eyes that went straight to his groin. How could Leo be still horny? “Untie me. I want to suck you off,” Leonardo proposed seductively.

It was a very pleasant prospect, but blow-job was too much of a contact. An opening for Don to want more and he already wanted Leon too much for their family and business' sake. Leo had to stop being so greedy.

“Don’t deny it, I know you are hard,” Leon continued. “I feel your boner pressing on my shell. I can suck you off. Or,” Leo's gaze shone with erotic promises and his voice was in a low, velvety-pinch. "You can push me on the wall and fuck me."

“Answer my question first,” Don insisted. Yes, he was horny, but even more eager to get an answer, since anyway, he was determined to never allow Leo such things. “You know me, Leon. I’m a very serious person. I want us to have that relationship.” He motioned to the suitcase, hoping Leo got the hint. It could be not about love, but for Don, it was important Leo understood Donnie was pretty serious about him and wouldn't drop Leo in the dust after a few trysts. It was beyond foreplay and he wanted to know Leo's feelings about it. “I want it to be exclusive. I allow Mikey to have sex with you because you both forced my hand in this. Mikey needs to be loved and he has only you as a possibility, so I can accept you topping him. Ugh. I don’t want to picture it.”He ran his hand down his face. It wasn’t only jealousy. He always thought of Mikey as his son. The idea his son by proxy was having sex with his partner-Mikey’s own maternal figure- was sickening him but he knew better than linger his feelings on that.

On his lap, he could feel Leo getting wet again and his tails quivering with excitement. The scent of pheromone was so thick, Don felt like he has a nose bleed. He wiped under his nostril and realized that indeed he was. Damn, he hoped Leo didn't notice. He stretched an arm to grab a towel and wiped his nose and forehead. That situation was getting old and unbearable. As thrilling it was to resist a temptation, Don was too close to snap and he didn't want Leo to notice how he was affected. 

Straight to the point, Donatello, he chastised himself. Get Leo’s consent, kick him out, and jerk off. Getting Leo acceptance was his main priority. He could jerk off every damn day but to have Leo so soft and pliant in his embrace was a lifetime opportunity he should not waste. “We need to set some ground rules,” he continued, encouraged by the fact he had Leo’s full attention. “I don’t want to rush things and so, for now, there’s only two I’m very firm on: the exclusivity and I’m the one in charge.”

“You won’t rent fancy prostitutes into fancy hotels anymore?” Leo asked in a low voice and it reminded him of Mikey and Leo spending his cash into an expensive suite to have sex. The three agonizingly long days Leonardo had ignored his message. He had really thought he would lose his mind. For all the bad feelings he had been overwhelmed by, he thought Leo had not paid enough. The bracelet was tissue paper.

“I won’t.”That was true. Why would he spend cash on dull women, when he had such a wild partner at home for free? Leo was more alluring and eager than them all. “It’s an exclusive relationship for me as well. So, do you agree?” he asked again, trying to not show how anxious he was waiting for an answer.

“I think that...yes..”Leo agreed slowly. “Anyway, Mikey isn’t touching me, anymore. I think...he is afraid of you.”

“Oh well, I’m glad,” Don replied, before realizing how wrong it sounded. Leo was easily over upset about Mikey's feelings. “I spent some bonding time with Mikey and Raph when you were sleeping. I have great hope we will slowly build a better family dynamic. After that contract, none of you will have to work anymore. I will make sure your whole world revolves around pleasure.” The pressure in his plastron was so hard. But he needed to say all the words that would make his hedonistic brothers’ hesitation crumble like a house of cards. Leon had agreed but with some reservations and Don refused the reservations. He wanted Leo fully his, a total surrender.

His eyes zeroed on the inside of the tight again, stroking the flesh. The leather of Leo’s skin was soft there and his legs were with Leo’s eyes the more gorgeous things he knew. Leo said he was his, but it wasn’t enough of an assurance for Donatello’s troubled soul.

Leon asked him again for a kiss, but his new idea distracted him too much to even find a reason to refuse.

“Tell me, Leon.” He licked his lips, his mind picturing the scene. “How do you feel about branding?”

Damn, Leon would look so damn good with his name on him, branded as his most precious treasure should be for no one to dare to try to steal Leon away. It would be also a reminder for Leon himself, to calm that avid nature of him.

“Branding?” Leonardo turned stiff into his arms and fear filled his voice. “Untie me!” He was about to bolt from that bath and Don grabbed him, pinning him on his lap. 

“Calm down.” Slightly annoyed but mostly worried by how restive Leo had been at his mere suggestion, Don resumed his strokes but Leo still fidgeted on his lap. “I wasn’t planning to do it now. It could be very discreet branding; a capital D letter, of the size of a quarter,” he explained for Leo to return at how purring he was ten minutes ago.

“Let me go, you psycho!” Leo trashed on him, but it wasn’t because of a mind-blowing orgasm, anymore. How Leo had turned in a few minutes so unwilling dumbfounded Don in a very bad way. “You can’t kiss me, but you want to burn me with a hot iron!” Leo yelled.

“Why are you overreacting? Where do you see hot iron?” Of course, Don had no intention to brand Leo like that on the first day without any kind of preparation. “I didn’t do anything to hurt you!”Don exclaimed. Why did Leo act as Don had been violent and threatened him? “It’s quite the opposite! I have been busy pleasuring you for hours without caring for my own needs!” 

“Untie me!”Leo was twisting his head as he wanted to bite him and the primal reaction shocked Don. “You satisfied your need to dominate me enough!”

Donatello frowned, offended by what seemed like insensible to him but in a flash, he wondered as well if he was so transparent. 

Even if Leo walking away in such an angry state and with that disagreement between them was the last time he wanted, Don decided that he had no choice but to free Leo first, as proof of goodwill. Leo wouldn’t want to listen to reason without it.

At the moment Leo was free he tried to slip out of the bathtub but Don snatched his arm.

“Speak to me!” he demanded, in his most authoritative, pissed off tone. “We just agreed on being exclusive. I asked you beforehand if you wanted us to be more than mere brothers. We can’t marry, we can’t have children, we are already living together. I need something physical to show our commitment,” he tried to argue, logical. “Why are you so upset about it?”

“And you found nothing better than carving your name on me,” Leo spat, shaking with anger. “As you weren’t already controlling me like a puppet enough!” Leonardo pulled on his arms, but Don grabbed him with his two arms. “You already bite me every chance you get!”

Don was confused; he couldn’t deny he did bite Leo hard and he was acting like a lunatic or a wild animal, but Leo hadn’t seemed to mind, it was even the other way around hence why he let himself go.

“The bites aren’t the issue, here,” Leo said, his eyes still gleamy with fury. “Me liking it rough isn't the issue. But that damn taser bracelet is!”

Ugh, not again. Why were they all making such a big deal of it?  
  
“When you ran away with Mikey, you put me in such a state...”Don struggled a brief moment to find words able to placate Leo and make him understand. “I need this,” he concluded, even if he knew it was a very poor argument. The bracelet and the branding were two very different matters. The teaser bracelet was only a safety measure. Don has none because Donatello wasn’t reckless as Mikey and Leo were. The branding was a gesture of commitment. If Leo asked him to get a L as a branding, Don wouldn’t mind. The more he thought of it, the more turned on by the prospect he was. “This isn’t like getting the name of a one night stand on you. I’m your brother." The more he spoke of it the more lost and incensed Donnie was. "We knew each other for years. You know I’m very careful and methodical. I will take great care of it,” he promised. “For it to not hurt. I would never hurt you!” he vowed in his more loving voice.

His whole speech Leo had tried to get away, but Don held him tight. 

“Not hurt me?”Leo glared at him. “And what about when you shocked me last week?”

“Shocked you?” It was enough for Don to release his hold. “What do you mean? You mean when I gave you the bracelet?”

Just at the word bracelet, Leo’s hand went around it nervously.

“No, I mean when I left the house and fell on the ground because that damn bracelet was a genuine tracking and taser bracelet,” Leo snarled.

Don stayed still, proceeding Leonardo’s words a moment.

“Of course it was a genuine bracelet!” He didn’t quite understand what was surprising about that part. Lying or being half-assed wasn’t like him and Leon must have known that. “But I don’t understand…” He pulled on his sleeve, studying his matching bracelet. “It didn't trigger mine. I received no alarm at all.”

Don turned silent and Leo as well. Both of them were studying the other like two wild animals. 

“That’s mean…” Don turned livid as the realization sank in. “They fooled me! That’s fucking bracelet is defective! I got no signal at all!” he shouted, blind with rage and indignation. How could they dared to sell him a defective one when Don had made it damn clear it was death or life matter!  
  
The punch took him by surprise.

“Why did you punch me,” Donatello asked, touching his bursting lips. “I told you! I had no idea!” he shouted. No, he had no idea about Leo having disobeyed and get shocked. But what did Leo expect? And he dared to punch him, now? It has been already a few times in the last two weeks Leo got physical in his anger. Don was mad and distraught but didn't fight back. It wasn't that he get off on Leo's punches; it was quite the opposite. Fighting back would lead to chaos. 

“You were more concerned with having your bracelet defective than shocking me!” Leo roared, furious, his hands balled in fists. “You had no regret at all!”

“You’re the dumb one who disobeyed a direct order!”Don countered in a stern voice. By Leo’s face, he knew his brother just reached the boiling point, but Donatello didn’t care. Leonardo had acted stupidly and he dared to blame him? “I explained to you what it would do! You knew where you were getting yourself into!”

The next thing he knew, Leo’s knife was under his chin.

"Disable it.” Leo was death serious. His hand was even shaking with self-restraint. 

“I won’t.” Donatello stared back totally unimpressed. He preferred a cold death than getting through the living hell to wonder where his brothers were ever again. Anyway, he knew it was a bluff. Leo was far too much soft-hearted to kill him, the sweet creature. He just has a kind of a temper.

He managed to stay straight-faced and not smirk as Leo stepped back. He knew it. Leo's soft heart would be the end of him; this is why Don needed to keep him safe. For other people to not abuse and take advantage from Leo's soft nature.

“Don’t ever land a hand on me. I mean it.” He pulled his knife back in his sheath but he was still in a dark mood. “You asked me last week to stop teasing you and I did. You were the one chasing me and now, I’m telling you the same: stop lusting for me. Lust is even too much of a human feeling for you!”

At this, Don gasped. What was that? Was Leo stepping back? He has no right to do so!

“You can’t say that! We just agreed on the terms of a verbal contract!”Don protested. It was bad. How the situation had turned so upside-down was a mystery. He scolded himself. The branding had been a too bold move too fast. He should have waited a few weeks, the time Leo got comfortable enough and addicted to his touch. Maybe cocaine may act like that. At the minute it would be alone, he would flush all his stock. “You are right. I went overboard by suggesting branding.” he didn't say he didn’t regret either forgetting the suggestion. It had only been too early. He needed to placate Leo, coax him to stay, until Leo calmed down enough, he forgot about the incident. “Let’s talk about it!”

“Fuck you and your contract!” Leonardo swung the bathroom door open. “I’m done talking to you for a lifetime.”

For a moment, Don was tempted to set the distance between him and Leo to six-foot on his master bracelet to prevent Leo from leaving, but he fought that instinct. It wasn’t time to discipline Leo; Don would get stabbed for it at the minute Leo wouldn’t be shocked anymore. 

“Where are you going?” Don tried to grab him again, but Leo batted his hand away. 

“Don’t touch me!”Leo growled. “And for your information, I’m getting ready for work.” He reached Don’s bedroom door. “Tomorrow we have that interview. You keep saying how carefree we will be after that contract is over. I will do my best as an associate, but listen carefully: after it, I want my share on the money…”

“I always leave you your share, don’t speak like I was robbing you…” Don started to protest, but Leo wasn’t done.

“When it’s done, I want the Ramen Shop,” Leo declared and Don turned quiet and attentive. “You never cared for it, anyway. I will keep Mikey with me and Raph would get to do what he wants without you trying to influence him. But you...I want you out…”

Donnie blinked, not quite following.

“You can’t kick me out of my own house, Leon.” Don snorted. He never heard such ungrateful shit. 

“Just watch me,” Leo quipped back. “It’s either you agree on this or I won’t go to that interview. Then, Mikey wouldn’t either, whatever you do to scare him off. Then, good luck managing it with Raph only.”

Indeed, there was no way he succeeded with Raph only. Raph was brute force and mute obedience but he wasn’t the sharpest tool of the box and has no stealth at all.  
  
“Why would I accept any deal from you when you just changed your mind about what we agreed on earlier?”

“Because you have no choice.” Leo has a cruel shark-like grin, very uncharacteristic of him. “Because you need us a lot more than we need you, as hard as you work to try to hide it.”

It made no sense at all. Leo was thinking of himself as self-important because Don felt him up. Yes, Donatello was weak to Leo, because he was cursed to be more attracted by his own species and damn Leo was too alluring for his own good. But Leo was now acting as he wasn’t feeling the same and it was bullshit. Leo was as weak at his touch as the opposite. 

“You are actually angry at me and I get it,” Don yielded, controlling his own blossoming anger and how slightly upset he was. “You can leave and resume your day, but I would ask you to reflect on the moment we shared together.”Don turned solemn. “I felt we were about to reach a balance in our relationship. We complete each other and…”

“Balance when it was only about you?” Leo retorted and Don was incensed. How could Leo say that when he cum twice and Don, not a single time? Well, he did but Leo didn’t know. “Don’t show your face at the shop today! I don’t want you there! In fact, I don’t want to see you until tomorrow at the hotel lobby!”

Leo slammed the door and Don controlled his instinct to chase him, yank it to him and fuck him so hard, Leo would be too drained to remember he was angry. It was loud speech for a bottom, but Don knew better than to force Leo. He tried to not be too deterred. He had tried to tame a wild stallion and got thrown to the ground on the first ride. It didn't mean anything. He didn’t get millionaire before his twenty years old birthday without having persevered through a few failures. 

For today only he would do as Leo said, but tomorrow was another day. At least, Leonardo has the determination to get hired and fulfill their mission and it was excellent news. On that, they agreed, but Don has no intention to drop it on Leo and his personal matter, either.

He opened his right nightstand drawer, acknowledged the drugs but didn’t touch it and swallowed three sleeping pills to fall into a dreamless sleep.

  
  



	24. Preview of next chapter by B0xfish!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I want to step and that place and die, surrounded by those beautiful colors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Move the bar to see more of it,


	25. Diablo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aGUu4ea-s0

“What will you wear for that interview?” Mikey grinned. He threw on Leo’s bed a few clothing choices he had made for himself. “Do you think I should wear a girl outfit or a boy’s?”

Mikey put a lot of eagerness in his voice. It sounded probably kinda fake and the question was a pure provocation to get a reaction, but he was getting desperate to pull Leo out of his dark mood. He had no idea of what had occurred between Don and Leonardo. He could guess they went into an epic fight-again. It was odd, considering how in a good mood Don had been the last days, acting almost like a human being. Logically, he should have been even softer on Leo, his big crush. It seemed Donnie had been, at least until that “training.” 

When Don told them he needed some alone time with Leo, Mikey hadn’t worried. He had no idea what Donnie had in the bank for Leo as training. Mikey had supposed it was an excuse to have a very intense and rough sex session in the Dojo. Mikey’s fear of Leo got shocked again or punished in anyway for him was stronger than the jealousy he could have felt. Don’s drastic reaction to their “vacation,” had killed any lust Mikey could have felt for Leo. Mikey loved Leo enough to not try to keep him for himself. It was his selfishness that brought Leo there, anyway. Maybe it wasn’t too late to try to fix things. Don’s behavior had given him hope.

His training and Raph’s in addition to being relevant had been the greatest brotherly moment they had in a while.

Damn, Don had even made the effort to eat with them and watch a movie, until the credits! Mikey knew from an outsider, it was only an average way to spend a Thursday evening with his brothers. But if Donatello was a lot of things, being average wasn’t among them. So, Mikey had been quite impressed by Donnie’s brotherly approach and well, very pleased by it   
  
Mikey had made theories for that drastic change into his elder brother’s personality; maybe Donatello had been visited by the same three spirits as Scrooge the night before and decided to turn a new leaf? It was so surprising, Mikey was ready to believe in paranormal activities to explain Don’s new coolness. Damn, he even patted his shell? When was the last time Donnie touched him except for his last spanking last year?

Or maybe Donatello just get laid. He got a crazy good fuck with Leo and had realized he didn’t have to act like an asshole since Leo returned his feeling and they had Mikey’s blessing? It was very likely it was what had happened. After all, Leonardo got this relaxed, lovey-dovey face the next morning that Don had“put him in bed.” Mikey remembered it very well, because duh, it was like 24 hours old and also because it had hurt. Leo couldn’t have such a ravished face after a night with him. To get it rubbed in the face he wasn’t enough was still upsetting even if he knew that already and had already decided to let go from Leo. 

Mikey had tried to hide how he felt to Leonardo, as his brother searched for Donnie with bedroom eyes and still smelling of sex and Donatello. The important thing was that Leo was happy and after how nicer Don had been, Mikey had already got his hope high. Maybe everything will be fine from now on. Give Leo up for Don to be happy was okay. He was almost 19 years old. He has to let go of Leo’s hand.

This was the inner speech Mikey had told himself yesterday as Leo was “trained,” with this optimistic thinking of his. 

He should have known better; every time he turned hopeful for the future, it was doomed to be short-lived. The day before, Leo had started his shift in such a sour mood, his black eyes shining with fury, that not a single customer had tried to flirt with him, a premiere. A few hours in training with Donnie and Leo had looked like someone who could gut you, having totally lost his honeymoon face of the morning. And well, if he had to be honest, Mikey wasn’t that surprised; just totally disappointed again. To love Don was a waste; he always said that. The guy was either evil or a nutcase.

“I’m so excited! I’m not used to going to such nice places!”Mikey chirped very loudly, to try to get a reaction.

No answer. Leo was still as mad as he had been the day before. Don really fucked up big time. 

Donatello was such a motherfucking bastard naturally, of course, he couldn’t stay in line for too long. He hadn’t seen the son of a bitch yet, but he knew his brothers enough to know that Don was the cause of Leo’s gloominess and that whatever could have happened it was Donnie’s fault. Leonardo was very loving and didn’t ask more than be with Don. Mikey guessed that Donnie must have raised Leo’s hopes as well by acting all charming and gentlemanly like sometimes he does. But at some moment, his inner cold asshole had spoken louder, ruining everything.

Mikey wondered what shit he could have pulled on Leo for his natural carefree brother to be so down. After that bracelet’s incident, Leon had been moody and withdrawn. Mikey knew that for years, Leo had always secretly hoped for Donatello’s rehabilitation. All his youth, Leo had always tried to find some validation in any of the big jerk’s decisions. Donatello was stressed and busy, and tired, and just a little too overprotective, as sometimes big brothers were, Leo explained Mikey. Donnie had such a bad time at the orphanage, he wasn’t healed yet, Leo had said about one thousand times. Mikey opposed that Leonardo and himself were from the same place and weren’t acting the same as Don. Raph was the one having been mistreated and still, Raph wasn’t at all like Donnie. Usually, Leonardo rambled that geniuses weren’t the same and had it harder than common people with a common brain. It was utter bullshit, but telling so what like telling a believer Jesus was a hoax. It would have made Leo upset and angry for nothing at all. So Mikey always ended by shutting it up for Leon’s sake. 

Leonardo had started to change his mind only after his heartbreak, when Don had fucked, then ditched him. They had started to tag teams to give Don a hard time as retaliation. But Mikey always knew that Leo kept a soft spot for Donnie and that a huge part of the teasing was to make Don crack and confess. In that hotel room two weeks ago, Leo had pushed Don’s limits and of course, it had payback badly. Being overwhelmed by feelings and lust wasn’t probably Don’s comfort zone. They had this huge fight Leo hadn’t spoken to Mikey about, they ran away, and then, Leo got a very genuine-and effective-tracking and shocking device that Don had to pay top dollar for. That bracelet would have been totally dope on Charles Manson or some kids’ killers piece of trash. But Leo’s only crime was to have spent a few days off to cool down his head after a fight with Don.

That Donatello could go that far had really seemed to shock Leo-no pun intended when Mikey wondered why Leo had been a fool enough to test the thing out in the first place. He never doubted a single second Don had told the truth about the bracelet. He bet Raph didn’t either and this was why he had been so uneasy when they came back. That Don was crazy or evil-or both was getting more and more hard to deny, right? But he had seemed to take a toll on Leonardo to get it in the face he had been wrong about Donatello. He had skipped meals, had insomnia, and barely had spoken to anyone. Mikey guessed that when you love someone, it’s kind of disturbing to realize they are truly psycho and rehabilitation was nowhere soon.

But since yesterday Leo seemed not only to be downhearted but truthfully M-A-D. Being mad wasn’t Leo’s nature. Mikey wondered what Don could have done to have troubled Leonardo that much that he was actually looking like sulking. To his huge disappointment, Leonardo didn’t seem in the mood to share any confidence. 

And now, Mikey was getting worried. It was 8:30 and they had to be at 9:45 at the hotel and Leo wasn’t even dressed yet. Scratch that, he didn’t even get out of bed yet. Could Leo be angry to the point to ditch the mission? Mikey really hoped not. He was actually looking forward to that mission at the Grand Nexus Hotel. He knew the place from reputation; it was a hotel with everything a high-end hotel could have besides rooms: restaurants, bar, conference, and reception rooms, spa, sauna, beauty cares, gym, a pool, and a casino. There’s was even a movie projection on the terrasse in summer and it had its own subway station. Mikey had seen pictures, the whole place was in the Art Deco style that reminded of New York’s golden age that was so rad. But what was making the Grand Nexus Hotel truly outstanding was it was the only hotel for mutants.

Humans were allowed on the first floor, to eat at one of the restaurants and bet at the casino’s first floor, Mikey had heard, but the 42 other floors were for mutants only, for them to feel “safe.” Discrimination against the mutant was a thing, whatever the government could say and so, such a place was a blessing, crowded every day of th year by mutant tourists from everywhere in the world, but also a place where all New York mutants loved to hang. 

That means that working there could lead to meeting other people, mutants like them. To get real mutant friends was his dearest dream since Mikey wasn’t trusting humans anymore. Donatello was trusting no one period and since the day they got assaulted, Don had withdrawn them from society as he had already done for Raph. 

Raph had never been in school. He has never been allowed outside by himself, period. When Leo had asked why Raph couldn’t go to school, when Mikey had started preschool, Don had retorted it was obvious why. Mikey supposed Don meant Raph was a slow learner, but Raph wasn’t that bad. He was just frozen by anxiety when Don stared at him with those brown eyes that gave frostbites. Also, there were special schools for challenged students that Raph could go to. It would have even removed some load on Leo’s plate when Don was at his school. But from what Mikey knew, it had never been discussed further. And now, Mikey wondered why. Was it that Don wanted to keep the merit to have taught Raph alone? Even if Leo was the one dealing with Raph on a more daily basis when he was a child, Don saw Leonardo as the extension of himself so Leo trying to teach reading to Raph was still like him. Or maybe Don hinted that since humans had hurt Raph, they couldn’t be trusted around him? Who’s know?

If Leo couldn’t get an answer from Donnie, there was no way Mikey could. The fact was poor Raph never set foot in any school, neither any specialist’s office. 

Often, when he was going to Elementary school himself, Mikey had actually feel sorry for Raph to have no social contact at all. He knew Leo had felt the same, but didn’t have the balls to oppose Donnie at the time. The only thing Raph was allowed to do was to watch reruns of Bill Nye, The Science Guy, Ghostwriter, and the Magic School Bus and clean the house.

So, Leo and he had the chance to lead to a kind of normal life in comparison to Raph until the day they got beaten. At the time, Mikey was so traumatized, he had been glad of Don’s decision to put them out of school. It was in May and just a few weeks before the end of the year. Leo was smart and Mikey had supposed he would pass his year and be sent to high school, where he could start over next September. He had believed himself would be sent to another middle school. But in September, when the emotional wound had slowly started to scar and he had asked about it, Mikey had learned Don had decided they would never go to school again. Mikey had found it quite drastic. Was Don not supposed to value education? Was it not always talking about how important it was to get a good job to be wealthy? Didn’t tell many times about how that the ramen shop was unworthy to them and they should try to get better? How Mikey could with an Elementary degree? Was Donnie doing it for them to be even more dependent on him? It could be.

It had been crazy to think that at twelve years old, his school life was over. It had taken him a moment to wrap his mind over it and it had been too a dizzying prospect. He had told Leo he wanted to go to school again. But instead, to step in and oppose Donatello, Leo had tried to encourage Mikey. It wouldn’t be that bad, Leo had said. Don was smarter than anyone and could teach Mikey. Mikey knew Leo wasn’t believing Don would actually spend time enough with Mikey to make up for real school. Donnie was awfully busy with his own studies, their shop, and also, Raph, the brother he preferred to Mikey. In fact, Don never acted as Mikey was his brother, to begin with. Mikey’s studies would end Leonardo’s responsibility and Leo knew it. 

Leo was lying because he was relieved Mikey would be safe. Leo had never talked of the gang rape, to not distraught him, he supposed. But Mikey didn’t need to be a genius like Donnie was supposed to be to get Leo had been very worried something similar happened to Mikey without Leo to help that time. Don was pretty good at passing his wariness and worry to Leo as it was a bug. It was probably why Leonardo had sided with Don, again, and had comforted Mikey he would miss nothing at all. 

How Leo couldn’t understand that to learn English literature wasn’t what Mikey was thirsty for but having friends was?

Leonardo was three years older than him. The assault happened two months before Leo’s 16 years old birthday. Leo had the time to make friends, dance to parties, drink beers, and kiss a few girls or boys. He had tasted what being a teenager was like and all that Mikey had always longed for. 

Everything that probably Don wasn’t that happy Leo experiments while he was studying for hours at his prep school, too far away to intervene. Leo had fun, Leo had been friends with people Don never met and so, couldn’t approve of and it must have been hard to deal with the jealous bastard Donnie was. The fact he had lived a teenager life when no one of his brothers couldn’t be maybe another reason Leo hadn’t stepped in. Leo was the kind of guy getting a guilt trip easily. He must have considered himself to have been lucky. He was also at the age guys start to want independence, a car, and the bling-bling one could buy with its own paycheck. The school was a hindrance to that.

Leo had told Mikey that he couldn’t let Don work alone to feed them when he has the same age and was healthy. He had decided to get a job outside of the Ramen shop. But Leo never got a job outside the Ramen shop. Mikey remembered when Leo brought it on. It hadn’t lasted long.

“I won’t let my brother dirtying his hands for someone that couldn’t fully appreciate his skills,” Donatello had stated. They all know what that means: Don couldn’t stand Leo being bossed by someone else than himself.

And just like that, it had been over. At the time, Mikey hadn’t quite understood why Leo wasn’t fighting Donnie more. Don wasn’t used to being talked back to, they never knew what could happen if Leo confronted Don about something. No one ever tried it out. If anything, Leo was a good choice to take the bullet for the team. Donnie was valuing Leo’s opinion and it was very unlikely he snapped too badly at him. If Leonardo insisted and made a big deal to return to school, Mikey felt Don would have yielded. Leo was a very smooth talker when he wanted to. When it had been about trying to avoid Mikey a harsh punishment, Leo was doing a very great job to coax Don into forgetting it most of the time. He could have persisted for himself. 

But Leo didn’t fight Donatello’s decision. He had accepted to not work for someone else than Don as he had accepted to not return to school. Mikey had wondered why at the time Leo was being so submissive. Today, as Leo was laying, turning his shell to Mikey after a fight with Don, Mikey mused over if there was some mating instinct in the way Leo had acted before his 18th birthday, accepting Donatello’s laws as he had no choice because somewhere the animal part of him longed to submit to the alpha male of the pack. Mikey didn’t finish middle school, but he did like to learn and watched some documentary. Leo could not be a female turtle, his instinct had chosen the strongest mate. 

Today Leonardo could cry in rage and curse Donnie to have lost his freedom, his own too submissive behavior in the past had been the cause of it. After so many acceptances from Leonardo, Don thought of himself as unstoppable. 

Now knowing what he knew, Mikey wondered if the assault wasn’t exactly the reason Don had waited to keep Leo at home, at his mercy for years. Mikey had just been the collateral damage of Don’s growing possessivity toward Leonardo. He couldn’t send Mikey to school and prevent Leo from doing so. 

Leo was smart and charming and would have been popular in high school. He could have gotten a scholarship, gone to college and then, made new friends or lovers. It was probably something Don had dreaded and had no idea how to prevent it from happening. The attack had been the perfect excuse. If he pretended to keep Leo at home to protect him, he had to do the same to Mikey, since both had been attacked.

It seemed like that, Leo had ruined Mikey’s life but it was the other way around. 

By getting in trouble, Mikey had given Don an opportunity to lock Leo home. 

By running away, Mikey had given Don the opportunity to put a lock on Leo, period.

After the assault, the only people Leo was allowed to see were the targets and in a way, Mikey was kinda lucky Don wasn’t lusting for him and that he was so unworthy, his contracts were few and short to fulfill. Mikey had more free time and so could escape when Leo couldn’t, watched more closely, and kept busy. 

It was how he had managed to get some buddies like Mondo, but they were all teenagers almost as fuck up as he was, and Mikey craved normalcy. He needed to meet new people, mutant people since he didn’t trust humans. The Grand Nexus Hotel has 530 mutant employee and 15 humans one. Without counting the hundreds of customers, it was making a lot of new people, eventually friendly or eventually hot-looking Mikey could meet. It was a thrilling prospect.

Maybe he could even meet a real someone he could love since Raph was grossed out by him and that Leo has the hots for Donnie, whatever he could feel today.

Because Leo could be mad as fuck, too many times in the past he had been mad at Donnie to forget it at the next honeyed thigh Don spout to him. Leo had pretended a few times already being over Donnie, but what he had with Don wasn’t something so easy to forget, obviously. Anyway, Don would make sure to not be forgotten, knowing him. 

But as Donnie said, Mikey should mind his own business. He had to keep his eyes on the mission.  
  
Don had said that this mission was the last and then they would live a happy life in retirement, but Mikey dreaded retirement. Retirement means that maybe Don would close the Ramen shop to make himself a bigger office and then, they would be totally outcast from society. No targets for Leo he could fake to be in love with while sipping a pricey cocktail in a posh speakeasy. No customer exclaiming that Mikey’s gyozas were the best. Maybe for Raph, it wouldn’t make too much of a difference, but Mikey knew he and Leo wouldn’t be happy.

That mission was probably the best and last chance to live something like fun. 

In that huge building, filled with people, Don wouldn’t be able to breathe on their neck as much. He had also told them it could take weeks or months, a reasonable lap of time to make friendship or any kind of ship, and well, Mikey wouldn’t be in a hurry to rush it to an end. Of course, he didn’t want it to fail. That mission was very important to him and he would lie if he didn’t say he kind of hoped to get that ooze to change Don’s opinion about him. Mikey knew he should know better than wanting to impress that dick head. But that mission was right in his alley and to get responsibilities at the same level as his other sibling was a nice change and a huge source of motivation.

Maybe if they were flawless and successful, Don would cut them some slack. 

But Leo seemed like to not going and Mikey didn’t need to be a wizard to know it was a bad omen. Mikey could have confidence in his ability, he knew the mission was very less likely to succeed without Leo. Anyway, would it have a mission without him? Mikey doubted Don would go to work without them, while Leo would be alone at home. Why Leo would want to stay home? Whatever happened with Don, Leo must be eager too for that mission, because if it was a good opportunity for Mikey, it was the same for Leo. They will get to see beautiful people and beautiful places. It would maybe be some fresh air in Leo’s golden cage, even if Mikey was ready to bet the whole stock he has in his stash, that Leo wouldn’t be allowed to get close to anyone out of what the mission required. But could they at least fake it could be possible for a few hours? 

“Thank God, you didn’t tear your best suit!”Mikey walked to the wardrobe, coming with Leo’s midnight blue suit. “Dee told me that the Hotel’s boss was a lady. We need you to do your charm routine.”Mikey gave his brother his brightest smile, even if Leo wasn’t looking at him. A smile could sound in the voice, right? “You know you are our face man.” 

Leo didn’t reply, still lying on his plastron under his blanket.

“I think I will put that one,” Mikey continued, pretending to not notice Leo’s sullen silence. “What do you think?” Without waiting for an answer-they didn’t have that much time-Mikey started to dress in a white shirt and brown vest. “Should I put on a tie? I know you totally do! A necktie suits you because you have a long neck. Why are you all so tall when I look like a child!” he wondered aloud. “You totally lied to me when you told me those Flintstone vitamins would help me grow! ” he tried to joke.

When Mikey was all dressed and Leo still didn’t budge, he couldn’t hide the increasing anxiety he felt in his voice. 

“Don will knock at the exact door in five minutes or so and kick our asses if you aren’t ready! He told us like ten times how much an important deal that mission was.” Mikey jerked his brother’s arm for Leo to face him. “Stop ignoring me already!”

He saw his brother wince despite trying to stay stone-faced and out of instinct, Mikey pulled on the blanket. 

“Fuck,” he muttered with his eyes wide. “The crazy motherfucker.” Mikey’s exclamation wasn’t angry, neither indignant, just kind of dazzled by what he saw.

On Leo’s shoulder, the bite mark was red and swelling and looked like getting infected. This wasn’t good and of course, Mikey was worried, but he couldn’t imagine the stern Donatello did it. The image was so wrong, but Mikey felt a tingle of twisted arousal.

There was definitively something wrong with him if he was envious Leo got bitten that deep and not him.   
  
“Leave me alone,” Leo snarled, pulling the cover again on him. “It’s nothing!”

“Did...did he bite you out of anger?” Mikey needed to know. It could be possible and explain Leo’s attitude. If now Don was losing it to the point to be violent and draw blood, maybe they should try to get the police and a lawyer or something to get out of there. Mikey knew a bite wasn’t that much of abuse, but knowing how Don turned any first time like permission to slid further into madness, it was a very bad omen and they all needed to get the fuck out of there. Mikey knew nothing about the Constitution but was sure the bracelet was violating one of the amendments. Some judge would force Don to remove Leo’s bracelet and they could get a restrictive order. Don has a very slack ethical sense but was very serious about following rules and laws, for a guy into a business like theirs.

“No,” Leo replied after a silence stretched. “He didn’t.”

Mikey didn’t answer, proceeding. He was relieved to know Donatello didn’t do it out of anger. It was great news that Don was still able to keep in check whatever dark side was sleeping inside of him. He always dreaded that sometimes, Don loses it for good, hence his question, despite he knew it couldn’t have been a wound made during a fight. 

His instinct knew that bite like that was happening during sex. Not any anonymous tryst, but meaningful sex and this is why he felt envious. Mikey was pretty sure Don never bite any prostitute. Leo had his share of hickeys and bruises from more passionate partners but never he wore such an animalistic mark, neither. Was it the reason they fought? Donnie got carried away, had bitten Leo too hard and this one was angry because of it? If so, it was kinda childish from Leo even if indeed that damn bite was deep. But something wasn’t right, Mikey was damn sure Leo liked it rough, with Don, at least. To be so pissed and sulky for a bite wasn’t Leo.

Mikey knew that asking questions would be useless. He stretched his arm, touching Leo’s forehead. There was something else off about him.

“You’re burning up, bro,” Mikey said, frowning. “I know you wouldn’t like what I’m about to say, but we need to tell Don.” Don could be very business-driven, Mikey knew their health was a top priority for Donatello. Even if Donnie fought with Leo, he would take care of him very diligently, even if the bite wouldn’t have been from him. “He will report that interview, check on your wound, and drive you to the hospital if needed.”

“I’m fine!” Leo exclaimed. “We don’t need to tell that jerk anything!”

At the same moment, there was a knock at the door.

“Leonardo? Michael? Are you ready?”Of course, it was Donatello. His voice sounded rather normal but Mikey knew better than getting fooled by anything Don let out. “You didn’t reply to my email.” 

Leo’s face twisted with something that looked like despair and pain but it had been too fugitive for Mikey to be sure. Out of instinct, Mikey understood he had to step in. Leo was too upset and edgy to deal with anything. Don and Leo arguing again would bring nothing good to them.

“Leo is sick,” Mikey exclaimed. “We need to…”

“I’m fine!”

“Leon? Sick?” The door swung open and Donatello walked in, with great strides. Leo tensed and winced away in his bed. Then, he probably realized it would end cornered and so he tried to get away and left the bed.

“I’m fine.” Leo stubbornly repeated. He snatched the suit Mikey get for him and was quick to dress in the white shirt as he wanted to be sure to be dressed before Don’s eyes or hand could land on him.“Get the fuck out of my room!” he growled his shell facing them, but Mikey knew the words were addressed to Donatello, not him. 

Donatello was wearing his best suit, and his demeanor was flawlessly elegant, giving off that successful and self-control businessman vibes Don always does. His face expressed a controlled concern, very clinical. But what arose Mikey’s attention was the burst lip. It was very subtle and not visible if you weren’t close and very attentive to take the detail of Donnie as Mikey was doing right now to try to get a clue about the situation. It was easy to guess Leonardo struck him, but why? Mikey has no doubt Donnie totally deserved it but still was curious-and worried about the circumstances.

“Leonardo, are you sure you are fine?” Don asked, his voice clipped and unemotional. He slowly turned his head, taking a dive into Mikey’s soul. “What is the matter?” he asked, probably knowing very well Leo would refuse to answer him. “Why did you say he is sick?”

“I’m not!” Leo said, grabbing his vest. “Mikey is delusional.” But Don seized his arm.

“What is into you, Leon?” Don wondered, his voice flat and not really pressing the matter. But in a jerky move, he yanked Leonardo to him, proving his dispassionate calm was only a facade. “Answer me.” The demand had been made in a low growl and Mikey felt the atmosphere switch. Don had always a hard time being ignored. Leo must remember it wasn’t a winning behavior with Donatello. The last time he did ignore him, he got a taser bracelet. 

“Leo’s bitemark is getting infected and he is running a fever,” Mikey blurted out. 

“Show me.” Don’s tone wasn’t harsh, but his order was leaving no room to refuse and Mikey could see there was a long tremor running through Leo’s body. Leonardo has been drilled to obey but was also very prideful and pissed. Mikey waited eagerly to know which side of Leo would win that match.

Don darted a warning look on him and Mikey understood Donatello wanted him to leave to be alone with Leonardo. But he met Leo’s gaze as well, pleading with him to stay. Leo already took so many bullets for him, Mikey decided to stand his ground against Don and pretend to not understand the silent order in his cold eyes. 

Don released a shaky sight.

“Go grab some Tylenol for his fever!” he told Mikey and Mikey cast on Leo a helpless look. Leonardo didn’t look at him, neither at Don, his eyes averted.

“Bring me back a hand towel, a bowl of cold water, an antiseptic cream, liquid soap, and an ice pack,” Don enumerated, making that way sure Mikey was gone for at least a few minutes. “Hurry!” Don snapped finally, saying Mikey still internally debating.

Mikey knew very well he had no choice and so, he rushed out of the room and to be sure to not leave them alone too long, he made a beeline to Leo’s bathroom and came back to give them the Tylenol and the cream. Leo and Don were at the exact same spot he left them, wariness pouring from Leo and despite his poker face, Mikey could perceive a slight confusion coming from Don, by how stiff he was. Don was always having a defensive posture when he was troubled. But he did prefer a defensive Don to an offensive one.

Mikey has no time to lose. The interview was probably still on the table for Don since Leo wasn’t bleeding out his eyes or barfing up a lung and so, they were in a rush. It would be too stupid if they didn’t get the job for such a silly reason than being late. He ran down the staircase, to go into the kitchen and bumped into a hard chest.

“Raph?”

Mikey blinked as he wasn’t fully awake and stared at his oldest brother from the head to the toes. The last time he saw Raph in a suit was at Splinter’s funeral. He didn’t remember Raph could look so good in a suit and he gasped. He wasn’t out of his shock yet that he got embraced in a tight cuddle. 

The clothes were too new, they weren’t smelling like Raph and was a little raspy, and Raph’s hold was a little too strong, but for one moment, Mikey indulged himself in the touch, melting in that love cocoon that was Raph’s arms. Since Mikey ran away, they didn’t have any talk. Of course, talk couldn’t be that long with Raph, but still, Mikey had always been proud Raph was making longer sentences with him, feeling more at ease. 

Don could love and care for Raph, and Raph having huge respect for Donnie, his presence was oppressive. Even if Leo didn’t mean to make Raph anxious either, and treated him very kindly, Raph was so convinced Don would flip his shit if they seemed too close, he was acting all self-conscious around Leonardo. 

Raph didn’t have the same reason to be cautious around Mikey and so, he was the one with whom he expressed the most himself. They had that fight-well it hadn’t been really a fight. More Mikey getting overly-upset because Raph rejected feelings he has all the right to reject. Raph was probably worried Mikey was still mad at him. If he had been rather withdrawn since they were back, it was probably because Raph was still confused about Mikey's reaction and wasn't sure how to fix it. Poor Raph was precious; he didn’t need a sick fuck like Mikey lusting for him as the cherry on the top of his issues. 

“Big red missed Baby,” Raph choked out and if Mikey could get more stirred than he already was, he would be. Why did he have been such an asshole and left, leaving Raph to worry? Poor Raph wasn’t deserving more load on his anxiety plate.  
  
The hug lasted one minute or maybe two until Mikey remembered Leo was waiting for him to come back. He struggled a little to express he wanted to be released and Raph gently pulled him down.

He wondered a moment if he should ask Raph to check on their other sibling but decided against it. Raph wasn’t needing that stress. 

“Don asked me to get an ice pack for Leo and a few other things. We will be ready to jet from here in ten minutes or so,” Mikey said. “Leo will be fine,” he reassured Raph saying the worry on Raph’s face. He rushed to the kitchen and grabbed everything Don asked. But when he was about to climb up to the floor Raph’s bulky body was there, blocking the way and in a state of visible unease.

Mikey didn’t want to leave Raphael in the dark, either. If Don and Leo were still at odd, Raph needed to be gently prepared to not wonder and get the wrong idea it was his fault and get upset. 

“They got into a fight, I think. Leon isn’t telling me a thing, but Don looked kinda calm, so I doubt he would blow a gasket and harm Leon, anyway.” Mikey explained. “If anything, Leo is more likely to punch him again than the opposite. He burst his lips yesterday, I think. You know how they love to crawl each other skin.”

Mikey walked in front of him and Raph stepped back to let him pass. Mikey climbed up, feeling Raph’s anguish sharper than if he was the one feeling it. He sighed and try to explain more to comfort Raph. 

“Leo got bitten.” Mikey wouldn’t explain how and why or by who. Anyway, he was damn sure Raph got the situation more than what people were giving him credit for. “Don wants to stop the bite from swollen or getting infected, that’s all, Raph. Don’t worry about them.” 

Raph looked down and Mikey could see already the sweat beaming on his forehead. 

“Blue...Leo,” Raph uttered and Mikey gazed a little surprised. It was kind of rare for Raph to call them by their real names. “Leo should not…punch Donnie. Don loves Leo, he won’t fight him, but when Don is hurt…He is...it takes him again.”Raph stared at him, his gaze full of intent, and Mikey stared back, speechless. “I...I forgot the word.”

Mikey was gaping, waiting with a bated breath Raph continued. From what he knows, never so far Raph spoke with such complex sentences. It must damn important for him to explain his thoughts about it to Michelangelo.

“I forgot the word,” Raph apologized again. He looked around, probably searching for his cat to pick Plum up and unleash with over petting his trouble. 

“He turns an epic jerk even more?”Mikey offered, but Raph didn’t seem to hear him.

“Listen to the purple’s one!” Raph finally exclaimed as he recalled Splinter’s words and Mikey huffed, not liking those words a bit. How Donnie had managed to brainwash poor Raph rubbed him the wrong way. “Be on his good side!” Raph shouted again, distress so obvious in his voice, Mikey took a step back as he was overwhelmed by concern. “I didn’t mean to do it! Leo has no friend! Blue has no friend!” Raph yelled, in a blind panic. Where was this coming from? Mikey was confused but mostly deeply worried. 

A long mourning sound came from Raph’s throat like a sob and a shiver ran through him. At the moment Mikey was reaching to him, Raph’s knees gave up and he dropped on the floor, in front of the staircase, starting to rock himself back and fork. 

Mikey stared, stunned, and distraught in front of Raph’s full regression episode. What had just happened?

“What is happening?” Don asked, bending over the balustrade, his voice laced with annoyance and controlled anger. “Where is the ice pack! Mikey!”

“I think…” Mikey has not a single idea of how to explain that. “Raph isn’t well.”

“For god’s sake!” Donatello muttered, pinching his nose, a living statue of exasperation. Mikey guessed Leon was still pissed and stubborn and not collaborating at all. From his spot, Don couldn’t see Raph, only Mikey and so, his mild reaction was understandable. “Why I’m cursed to have siblings and to care about them, I wonder!” Donatello sighed. “I’m coming,” he finally said. If anything Don’s genuine daily concern for Raph was the only cute thing about him.

Mikey was between a rock and a hard place. Neither Leo and Raph seemed in the mood to bear with Don’s antics today. But if anything, he supposed after a look at Raph’s frightened form, Leo could deal with Don better. 

“I will take care of him!” Mikey exclaimed, climbing the staircase in a hurry without splashing water, to give him what he had asked for before Don could change his mind. But for once, Don seemed distracted, his mind not on Raph at all, when usually, he was the only thing able to stir Don’s ice-heart a little.

“Thanks,” Don said absent-mindedly and about to turn his shell to go back to deal with his obstinate sibling. 

“Heeellllo.” A feminine voice started them and Don rolled his eyes recognizing it.

“How that day could be better,” Donatello sighed. “Mikey, kick her out! Leon is already in a sour mood. I don’t want April to further anger him,” he told him before turning his back. “Leon and I would join you in the car in ten minutes.”

And then, Don disappeared in Leonardo’s room and Mikey had the time to hear Leo’s snarling voice, protesting he could care for himself.

“Don’t fake to not be home, Donnie,” April sneered. “I know you are there! The light is on in your handsome brother Leon’s room.”

Mikey muttered a curse. Now he had to deal with April too. That girl was too persistent for her own good. That she was so liking a guy like Donnie was making her very shady in Mikey’s book. And for once, Mikey sided with Donnie. Leo hated April to a point even Mikey found quite exaggerated. Leon was edgy enough and the day already hectic without them having to get rid of her stabbed body. 

He was about to tell her to scram when he stopped dead on his track. Leo had always bitched about how April has not at all any style and was making Donnie look bad just by standing next to him. Mikey never minded, he knew it was mostly jealousy talking through Leo’s mouth. But the truth was that indeed, when Donatello was always impeccably dressed, April wore thrift store Adidas sportswear. Leo snickered to no-end about it, because April didn’t play any sport except being the third wheel. Even Donatello told her a few times to drop the “Eastern European thugs girl style,” frowning with distaste as she dropped sunflower seeds scales all over the floor of the ramens shop.

But today, April was wearing a black and white classy dress and Mikey got a very, very bad feeling. Donatello could say April was only wearing his worse stuff for the fun to listen to Leo’s comments, he doubted that the girl wore such a fancy dress only for the fun.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” he mumbled, kneeling next to Raph. “We have no time for your games!” he said, knowing very well April knew he was talking to her. But of course, she faked to misunderstand.

“Are you heartless to speak to your brother Raph like that,” she scolded him. She kneeled next to Raph, patting his head and Mikey barely held back a shove. But he didn’t bite her head off as he noticed Raph wasn’t wincing away. On the opposite, he seemed to calm down. 

“You are handsome in that suit, Raph,” she said, using a soothing voice. “Are you looking forward to seeing new people? I bet you do! With those nutcases you call your brothers!” she chuckled and Mikey didn’t even snap back that she was the one with a screw loose to hang so much around Donnie. The fact was that he didn’t think of it, but indeed, for Raph too, the Grand Nexus Hotel would maybe turn out like an exciting adventure. 

Raph’s missions weren’t that long. He usually got out of the car, threw punches around five-ten minutes exempt if the contract required some foreplay and that’s all. Even so, foreplay was usually more Leon’s or Mikey’s responsibility. Besides the missions, Raph never went outside, except for his rooftop garden, and never saw anyone, except the customer of the shop that he didn’t even interact with. Raph’s duty at their shop was to be the janitor, something he had to do after closing hours. The less than three hours the shop was open, Raph had to stay there, as Donnie had demanded him to do “for security maintenance.”

Working at the Grand Nexus Hotel would be a mind-blowing change for Raph, and Mikey wondered if his brother was ready for that. As usual, Donatello didn’t ask for Raphael’s opinion as Raph didn’t voice his. In that egocentric mind of his, Don must think that a mute Raphael was a consenting Raph. But that doesn’t mean Raph has no opinion.

“That’s true, bro. You’ll get to see a bunch of new people.” Mikey said. “And I’m sure you will meet someone nice among them.”

Mikey stopped, to think about his own words. Earlier, he had thought it would be nice to find someone to love, since Raph didn’t want him. But what if the opposite happens and Raph meets someone? The idea was filling Mikey with bitter jealousy, even more, when Don claimed Leo for himself. But Mikey told himself he had no right to feel that way. He wouldn’t act like a lunatic like Don and start calling dibs and claims on people like they were mere Monopoly properties.

“We need to go to that interview, now.” April glanced at her cellphone, kicking Mikey out of it. “I’m not very experienced with those things, but I guess being late would be bad.”

“How so “we”? Mikey asked crossly. Was she meaning what he thought she meant?

“Because your Boss said so,” April exclaimed, folding her arms, challenging Mikey to dare to make a single remark, knowing very well that they could mock him, no one opposed Don in their family.“I’m a brain, too!”

“Great, now we got two crazy geniuses,” Mikey cursed under his breath, but Raph stood up very quickly. “But yeah, it’s getting late.” Damn was Don and Leo were doing? Make-up sex?

“Purple hates to be late,” Raph exclaimed. “In the car, now!”

Raph rushed and April after having cast on him a victorious grin followed Raph. Mikey was about to do the same when he realized something. April just bullshited him. Don had told Mikey to kick her out! 

That little rattlesnake, as Leo called her. 

But maybe Don just forget about it? Don seemed kinda distracted. Maybe he should ask? 

Curiosity took the best of Mikey. He didn’t hear any crashing sound, so he doubted Leon and Donnie were fighting. Anyway, Don wasn’t at all a fighter. He could order violence, he never did by himself, as it was a delicate but complicated bakery that could mess his suit. But to trigger the bracelet to punish Leo for having been insolent could be possible. 

Concerned for Leo, Mikey sneaked his way up. He entered Leo’s bathroom. It was the single one with a door from the hall, in addition to having another from Leo’s room. He had totally the right to be there. It was his bathroom too, he bargained with himself and he would tell Don so, if he get caught. He doubted he would be. It wasn’t his first time spying on Donatello. He did, for Leon and also, for his own account. Knowing your enemy was the first step to defeat him, Mikey had decided, even if Donnie wasn’t supposed to be his enemy. But Don was enough of a hindrance in his life to try to know his weak spot. He could be educational or being really good blackmail material. Sometimes, Mikey told himself he could have been a pretty good reporter if he had the opportunity to continue school.

He cracked the door slightly open. In Leo’s room, there were many mirrors, as Don supposed Leo was as narcissistic as him. It was indeed true Leo loved his image, but it was another bad habit Donnie’s behavior gave him. Leonardo has to care for his look for the job, and trying to make Don’s legendary control snap had made Leo super aware of his appearance. 

Mirrors were also very convenient for spies.

Without looking directly, Mikey has a good view of what was happening. Don was standing next to Leo who was all dressed except for his jacket. Don has a controlled expression, letting no feeling out. Leo was doing his necktie with jerky moves, and it was easy to tell he was still very pissed. But it was more the words spoken by Donnie that kept his attention.

“I never meant to hurt you.” Mikey has no idea Don’s voice could be that soft. “And I told you I had abandoned that idea.” Don sighed, with something hard to define, like sincere regrets. “I won’t brand you against your wills. Your worries are no reason to be.”

Mikey bit his fist with a mix of excitement, anxiety and indignation. Branding? Never he could have believed Don’s possessiveness could be that hardcore. The fact was that if he was into someone as Leo was with Don and Don was with Leo, the idea would have turned him on.

Mikey’s mind became wild. He imagined getting branded for his lover. It must be painful as fuck the first three weeks, and then, every time he would have grazed the mark with his fingers, he would have felt a tingle going straight to his groin. To felt so desired and cherished, that someone wanted to owe him was making his whole body throbbing with yearning. But it was him, and Mikey knew he was a fucked up masochist, a sick fuck. 

Leo wasn’t the same at all. Leonardo was healthy, longing for a healthy and equal footing relationship. Well, Mikey thought so. The fact was that Leo had taken from Donnie to not be very expressive about his feelings, at least not the one touching him directly. For example, Leo never talked about his rape. He never said he loved Donnie either. It was all of Mikey’s interpretation. Who knows what Leo really felt? But if Leo held back his feelings, and kept them for himself wasn’t for the same reason as Donnie at all. Leo didn’t want to talk about them or linger to them to keep going with his life. It was like if Leonardo would actually stop and talk about it, he would slice his own throat. Don was totally unaware of that distress-or was it he didn’t care?

Sometimes, Mikey has the impression Don saw Leo with some kaleidoscope glasses. Donatello’s could be very imaginative and very perceptive when it was about making money, his way of thinking, in general, was very rigid. 

“No reason to be?” Leo spun toward Don. “We can get a little crazy just for fun, but fun is like love, or empathy, or anything not making money,” he snarled. “You don’t know a single thing about it!”

“Touché!” Mikey though. His heart raced in his chest. What Don's answer will be? Mikey narrowed his eyes, studying the scene. There was still something like expectancy in Leo’s demeanor. Donatello could easily win Leo. He could take a step closer, ask Leo to teach him how to love and have fun and kiss him and Don would have Leo wrapped around his finger all over again, but Mikey knew better than betting a penny on that. Don could be a genius, he has not a clue about judging people’s feelings. 

“Please, take the Tylenol. It would lower your fever,” Don said, missing the boat as Mikey had expected. “We will talk later about it,” he still added to show he wasn’t dropping it, handing the pills to Leo.

Leo signed with exasperation and put on his jacket.

“I don’t need it.” He slapped Don’s hand away. “And I don’t need to talk to you! I’m done with you! I told you so!” He turned toward Don, glaring with all his might. “I’m only going to that interview to do my part of the deal!” he snarled. Which deal, Mikey has no idea, but deal with Donnie seemed as shady business as one with the devil.

“Tsk, so stubborn!” 

The move had been made fast and Mikey hadn’t expected that one. Don snatched Leo arm’s, popped the pills in his mouth, and before Leonardo could react, he yanked Leo to him and kissed him forcefully. 

It was a deep kiss, with tongue and a great deal of passion, and Mikey was still gasping like an idiot, being proposed in a restaurant, when Donnie broke free, wiping his mouth. The arousal was dimming on his face, but Mikey had the time to notice it.

“Now that you swallowed them, let’s move,” he said flatly and Mikey understood it had been the reason for the kiss; to force the acetaminophen down Leo’s throat. It was so devious and hot at the same time; Mikey realized he was hard. For Leo, he wasn’t sure, but his brother was breathing hard, his eyes glazed, probably still dazed by the unexpected kiss. 

“But mark my words: this conversation isn’t over, Leon.” Don’s tone was as serious as he was dealing a contract. “I never agreed to your deal, when you agreed on mine willingly. Don’t think you can shake it off as if nothing had happened! You told me yes!”Donatello growled in such a threatening manner Mikey felt his insides churn. To be that blatantly aggressive and openly bully wasn’t Donatello, not with his sibling at least. Mikey understood to act that way, Donatello was actually panicked. How he clutched the bottom of his jacked proved Don was very emotional right now and it scared the shit out of him. He struggled hard to stay composed, but he wasn’t fooling Mikey a bit. 

A tense silence followed and Mikey had no idea of what he was hoping for. Donnie was looking very cold and Leo flared up. The whole room was filled with electricity and Mikey wondered if, at that point of the game, they could come from it unscathed.

Honking sounds could be heard and Don’s cell phone rang. Mikey prayed a moment for Don to not be moronic enough to take the damn call, but of course, Don did.

“What?” Never Don was so rude when taking a call. He didn’t even peel his eyes away from Leo as Leo could jump and stab him. Mikey didn’t even dare to look at Leo’s face right now, he could easily imagine it. Don would have been better to snap, push Leo on the wall, and fuck him hard. Leo was mad and would have maybe fought him, but Mikey knew it would have been still a better idea than to take April’s call.

“What is taking you so long!”April complained on the speakerphone. So, maybe it was true it was set she was coming with them if she called Donnie. Mikey couldn’t resist and glanced at Leo. Leonardo looked even more pissed. “We are waiting in the car!”April shouted. “And that damn dress is itchy! I can’t wait to remove it!”

“I’m busy with business!” Donatello snapped to the phone before realizing. “Wait, what are you doing in our car?”

Mikey didn’t even congratulate himself on the fact as he guessed, April wasn’t on the VIP list. He was busy watching Leo turning livid to have heard their relationship being called “business.” Mikey knew Don meant nothing bad by it. It was the habit, or the nerves because even a robot like Donatello could feel anxieties once in a while as he just saw. But too late, the wrong word slid from his lips and whatever Don and Leo have, it was too volatile to not blow in Don’s face.

“Your bro Raph has such thick thighs and arms,” April sighed. “I’m feeling all hot and bothered in here.”

Leo and Don’s matter went to the back burner and Mikey rushed down the staircases, not even slowing down for Leo who just opened his bedroom door. What was this wench doing?

He could hear his brothers still arguing behind him, but Mikey raced to the garage. They could handle themselves. Donatello could have much more mental health issues than Raph, according to Mikey, he wasn’t as fragile as Raphael, nor Leo. 

When he barged in the garage, that bitch was there, laying against Don’s white Tesla Roadster. 

Raph was in the middle of the garage, anxiously wondering which car they would take. Don had bought himself a white Tesla and an orange one for Mikey, but since he got a “deal”, he bought Leo a blue and Raph a red. Don could think of himself as generous but for Mikey, it was cruel. Raph wasn’t allowed to go out. Leo has an electric device preventing him physically to do so and Mikey made no illusion about himself: Don couldn’t have told him a single word about his overdose, he guessed Donatello hadn’t appreciated the “ unfortunate incident,” that could have ended Mikey’s life. Mikey had done too much in a too short time and hadn't been punished for it yet. But he guessed full freedom for him was out of the question.

And this was why the Grand Nexus Hotel job was so important to him, as the last walk for a sentenced. 

“Which drug dealer's car are we taking?” April asked idly. “I didn’t know Don could have so bad taste! It is so flashy!” she exclaimed, motioning to the car. “It’s too bad he didn’t choose a purple one, it would have been totally like the Joker's car!”

“You!” Don was there, fuming, holding tightly Leo’s arm as to prevent him from running away despite his bracelet. Touching was something Don never did except if he was forced or in a weird good mood like two days ago. They must have continued to fight while leaving. “What are you doing here!” he asked April, his tone clipped, cold anger pouring from him. “You know that we are busy today! We are…”

“I know! You have that whole criminal turning hero business mission to do! Remember, I was there when you got the call! Could you believe we were about to have sex when that jerk got a phone and take it?” she snickered. She was purposely staring at Leo, with a huge grin plastered on her face. Was she nuts, Mikey wondered. Leo could be soft and sweet with him and Raph and be weak to Don, his brother was another story when it was about people he disliked. Leo would slice his throat open in a blink without any emotion as he did with Leatherhead. 

“Don’t flatter yourself!” Don spat after a glance that lasted a heartbeat to the turtle he held. “It didn’t happen like that!”

“Fair warning, I’m rough,” April said, mimicking Don’s voice and expression so spot-on, Mikey was actually impressed. “I’m also more gifted by nature than humans, if you catch my drift. I told you because you seem to not understand what you are getting yourself into.”

With a harsh move, Leonardo disengaged himself. Was it because Don told him something like that? Whatever convincing April’s imitation of Donnie was accurate, Mikey was almost positive they never fucked together. April has a way to throw down walls and maybe she used a moment where Don’s focus was slightly off for that conversation to happen, but Mikey was sure Don couldn’t get it up for her. Even less wanting to brand her. Mikey still felt something like butterflies in his stomach thinking of it. If Raph could be into him like Don was in Leo, and would have asked him to brand his ass, Mikey would have eagerly bent over.

“I’m taking my car!”Leo turned toward him. Leonardo was so mad, all the erotic scenarios left his mind. “Raph, Mikey, we’re off!” He glared at Don. “We leave you alone with your girlfriend! See you at the hotel!”

Don uttered something like a chuckle and it was sounding so fake and creepy, Mikey got the chills. 

“Don’t be silly, Leon.” He reached for his jacket to pull a gold cigarette case out and, mesmerized, Mikey realized that Don’s armor was really showing weak spots for him to now casually smoke in front of them. “April is messing with you,” he said liting up and taking a drag as he composed himself even more. “You have no reason to be jealous. If anything, you are what I have the closest of a girlfriend!” he sneered, releasing a puff. 

Mikey facepalmed. A few years ago, when their father was still alive and before they got assaulted, one of Leo’s friends came to their house. He had made numerous jokes about how Leo acted as he was a housewife and Leo, who never second-guessed his role in their household, started feeling self-conscious and a few times, made some bitter remarks about it to Don. Maybe Leo got in a fight with that friend about it, because not too long after, he stopped to visit them. But even if it was eight years or so old, the taunts were still vivid in Leo’s mind. To call Leo a girl-as Don just stupidity did-was a big no. 

The worst in that was that it was the closest Don had been to make a confession. Well, probably in Donnie’s book it was, but it was so the lamest way to confess his love to someone. Even more when they were already at odds. Yes, Leo has no reason to be jealous of April, but now he got a legit one to be even more pissed at Don.

To his credit, Leo held back to punch Donatello again.

“What about taking your car, Mikey? It’s time you learn how to drive.” 

Indeed, Don bought him the car, but no one really bothered to help him to get a license. Anyway, as he proved when he ran away with the Mercedes, he didn’t need any. Mikey knew that it was Leo’s way to admit his nerves were getting the better of him and he couldn’t drive. But what was bothering Mikey actually was Raph, so lost. Poor Raph had to choose a car, a team, a side, and it was too much for him. But because April was there, they couldn’t fit five in a car. Those cars hadn't been made for a whole family of mutants and their third wheel of a friend. 

“We are all going in the same car as a family!”Don hissed. “Anyway, you can’t go anywhere.” Donatello’s eyes gleamed with something that made a shiver run down Mikey’s spine. “You have the bracelet and, as you know, it’s a genuine tracking and shocking device.” Don was burning holes into Leo. “So, I kindly suggest you sit next to me in the car.”

For a short moment, Mikey saw in his brother something terrible: temptation to get over with it, to shout “Fuck you!” in Don’s face and drive his car even if it means getting into an accident by being shocked in it. Leo looked like a guy that was about to drive his car down the cliff. Mikey knew that face, because he got the same when he got so high, in the hope to get swallowed by a black hole and never get back.

It was a heartbreaking sight and Raph must have felt the same, because he pulled gently on Leo’s as to drag him into Don’s car. Their oldest brother had come closer and closer to them as the confrontation was going on. Raph was the ace in Don’s sleeve at the moment. He always played Donnie’s game, even when that one wasn’t asking him shit and Raph was such a poor, sweet, innocent creature, Leo wouldn’t fight him to distress Raph further.

“You filthy piece of trash,” Leo muttered to Don, before climbing in the car. 

Insults meant nothing to Don if that meant he could get what he wanted. Even when Leo threw a knife at him, Donatello hadn’t seemed to mind. From an outsider’s point of view, Don was the picture of control and perfection as he took a last drag on his cigarette, before popping a few mints in his mouth, totally unbothered by how mad and upset Leo was.   
  
Leon was in the car and Don was so self-righteous, Leo could claw his eyes out, if that meant he would get at the hotel in the car, Don wouldn’t even care.

“Come on, Mikey, we are off,” Don said. “You, you sit on the front,” he told April in a very harsh tone but April was as crazy as Don. She didn’t mind the rudeness if that meant she got what she wanted. Mikey has no idea why, but April was very excited by the prospect to have that interview with and to provoke Leonardo. She has managed her way to their car and Mikey supposed that she said shit about her having been bedded by Don, just to distract him and make Donnie forget what he was about to do: send her home. 

Don slid on the back seat next to Leo and Mikey has no choice but to sit next to Don. Leonard was against the door, pressing himself on it as to be sure Don has no reason to even graze him with a finger.

Leo had his head turned toward the window, probably gazing into the distance and Leo was so dark, Mikey was actually scared Leo jumped down the car to get over with it, Don and life, in general. Now, they were in the open, Mikey mused. Even if he has been clumsy, Don's comment was a public statement. Mikey was worried that now that Donnie had broken the news and no one had reacted, he would get even more comfortable in his control of Leo. Leonardo was too smart to not understand it. Even more,Don had made it pretty clear in Leo’s room earlier. Whatever deal Leo had been a fool to agree on, Donnie has no intention to drop it.

They were about mid-way and the ride was silent except for April’s chit-chat that no one bothered to listen to, when Don ran his hand in his face.

“I can’t believe I could have been that neglectful and not take a second look from head to toes!”

“Why so?”April chirped. “That suit makes you a very nice body. It enhances your shoulders and your waistline. You look pretty hot, too Leon. Too bad, the jacket prevents me from having a good view of your asses.”

“Shut up! Why don't we stop to drop your body in the river, it’s beyond me!” Don snapped.  
Indeed, how Don was patient with April was beyond Mikey. Donnie was in deep shit because of her and she again forced Donatello’s hand.  
  
“I wouldn’t mind,” Leo mumbled, still gazing through the window.

“And I told you many times to not call him that!”Donatello continued as Leo didn’t speak.

Mikey huffed. Don had always made a big deal of that Leon thing, as it was for his lips only. Sometimes, Don was childish.

“Anyway, it wasn’t about me! I can’t believe you, Mikey!” 

Mikey, startled, looked at Don. What did he do, again? “Did you see your shoes!” Don’s face was twisted in a disapproving mask. “How dare you wear running shoes with a suit, to such a critical appointment!”

Mikey looked down. Indeed, he has put running shoes, out of habit. Both Leo and Don have their identical elegant Italian leather shoes.

“Don’t scold him! He isn’t used to it!” Leo retorted aggressively. “Instead of bothering me with your “cares”, Leo made air quotes, “you could have helped him to choose!”

“It’s your fault! All that I wanted to do was to disinfect your wounds and then, give you Tylenol! It could have been a five minutes story, but no, you fought me, made unnecessary drama…” Don sucked in a deep breath to try to resume his emotionless act, pinching the bridge of his snout. “I don’t understand you anymore, Leon.” There was something very sincere in Don’s voice, despite how dull it was. Donatello wanted to understand, but he probably only would if it was getting along what he wanted, anyway. This was probably why Leo didn’t even bother. The last time Leo bothered that much with explanation was when Mikey had wanted to join a baseball team.“You got more mood swings than a PMS girl!”

There was a hint of real confusion and Don was almost expressing feeling here and it could have been interesting to dig deeper, but Donnie made such a bad choice of words, that Mikey was just staring speechless. Donatello could be genuinely perplexed, it didn't change he has used a very poor comparison. Was Don really a genius?  
  
April giggled and Mikey groaned in exasperation. 

“The PMS girl say Fuck you.” Leo’s reply had come sharp and cold, but Mikey was impressed by Leonardo's calm. "Are we there soon, to get over it, already?" Leo sighed but then, he froze, before leaning over to be closer to the driver seat. 

"You are so desperate to get rid of your 24 years old virginity, that you decided to stick with us at that interview," he said to April, snickering. "I bet they would have very manly guys, with huge cock and not too picky, right in your alley.”

Mikey caught the drift and so has Donatello. 

"Three minutes." Don's cut the sentence as a guillotine. "And if you know what is good for you, for everybody, you won’t come too close to any male or female, staff or guests, that Hotel has,” Donatello dropped coldly.

“Big Red happy to go there. To see people. Purple has no worry to do. Big Red will protect our babies bro.”

Raphael’s intervention took everyone by surprise. Even April made no sassy remark. Something like a smile floated a moment on Don’s features.

“Thank you, Raph. I know you are reliable.” The relief was obvious in Donnie’s voice. Raph just kind of agrees to stalke Leo and Mikey has a disgusted snort. 

They finally got to the hotel and the first thing Don did out of the car was to drag April away. From what Mikey could tell Don was scolding her and seemed pissed, but April was grinning, totally unimpressed by Don’s display of anger. 

“Leo, what had happened?” Mikey asked, at the minute they were alone.

“Why are you asking? You know because you spied on us from the bathroom,” Leonardo replied flatly.

Leo walked faster and Mikey, confused by how cold Leo was and wondered if he didn’t overstep boundaries by indeed spying on them. But then, he understood that Leo was in a hurry to not let Don and April alone. Mikey has a sad smile. Whatever the colossal asshole that Donnie was could do, it was like Leo was attracted to him as a moth to the flame.

Raph was there, fidgety and pulling on his suit. It looked slightly too tight for him, Mikey realized, and despite what he had said in the car, Mikey knew Raph was nervous as fuck and probably dreading to enter the place. He still was a little angry and wanted to make a point across.

“This is not cool, bro, when you take so blindly Donnie’s side. Don’t you see how a jerk he is with Leo? Cut the poor guy some slack!”

Mikey entered the hotel and he looked all around fascinated by how magnificent it was. What attracted his attention was the big candy stand just next to the entrance. Unnoticed, he grabbed a red lollipop and stuffed it in his mouth. He needed some sugar after how stressful a morning it had been. He swirled his tongue around the candy, picturing something else that has red as a color.

He rushed to be near his sibling as two humans looked at him with curiosity. 

“We have an appointment for an interview at 10:00 am,” Donatello said, in that aristocratic manner of him at the lobby desk. Suddenly, Mikey mused over the fact that Don wasn’t looking at all like a guy who needed a job. He has probably for $6000 of clothes on him, without counting his pricey watch. Just the way he spoke was to CEO like. Mikey guessed it was something another Boss wouldn’t like. Mikey’s imagination took a walk on the wild side again, imagining how amazing it would be that they got all hired except Donatello, because he had been a too arrogant son of a bitch at his interview. 

Raph was even more fidgety and Don asked for the restroom. The stress was always troubling Raph’s bladder and he needed to pee every five minutes when the tension was too thick to breathe, like fucking right now. They got directed toward a waiting room and Mikey sucked harder on his candy. It wasn’t very professional, but Don was too busy smoking and casting a side glare at Leonardo to care about Mikey sucking on a lollipop. Mikey guessed he should have removed his tongue jewel as well. Did Leo remove his?

April seemed to have the time of her life. Was she so in need of thrills she was having fun to have lit up an invisible fire? She really needed to get laid. Maybe Don and her should hook up together. Mikey was sure Leo would get over it and turn happier as well. 

Raph returned from the restroom, and then, went back three minutes right after. Leo was pulling on his necktie as he was done and hesitating if he should leave or not or to get some fresh air. It was too hot in the room or maybe it was the tense atmosphere that made Mikey sweat. Damn, he should have put on some perfume. It was true he had none, when Don spent $100,000 annually on perfume for Leo. It was such a waste. Mikey was damn sure Loe would prefer smelling on sex and sweat and cum after a hardcore sex session than tonka bean based perfume. Leo unbuttoned three buttons with a snarl. Maybe h was sweaty too? Or was it the fever? Leonardo wasn't looking professional anymore but Don didn't disapprove of him. Well, not with his voice but he was burning holes into him at the second Leo looked away. 

Why was it that long? Raph had the time to visit four more times the restroom before the door opened when no one wasn’t expecting it anymore.

A middle-aged-but still hot-lady opened the door. She was petite and with an hour glass figure and she greeted them with cheerful politeness. 

“Welcome to the Grand Nexus Hotel. I'm the one in charge. They call me Big Mama.” 

Mikey frowned, it seemed like a mob nickname, but it was true that if they were they it was because the place was doing shady business. Too bad, this place seemed so cool.

“You’re hired!” She exclaimed and even Don’s poker face could hold it and he gasped. He was probably not believing how unprofessional that woman was. 

“You’re the one called Donatello, right?” she said, standing in front of Don. She didn’t even scold him that he was smoking when it was probably forbidden. “I studied you and your brother's resume and I know exactly where I need each of you.”

“My brothers and I...” Don started and Mikey knew what Don was about to say. He was about to tell they needed to work on the same floor or something, but Big Mama cut him with a gracious smile.

“Ssssh, my handsome employee. I’m the one in charge.”

To see how Don paled was a treat, but Leonardo didn’t even react, looking barely interested as Mikey nudged him, grinning. But Leo got his own source of joy and sweet, sweet revenge when Big Mama stopped in front of April. “And you, I don’t know who you are, but I need someone to do my nail. So I guess you can do it!”

April wasn’t as grinning anymore and Mikey told himself that whatever shit happened today so far, it had worth to be alive one day more to just see both Don and April's deterred faces.   



	26. Trippin' Super Psycho Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to SundayEyes for the beta. This is why the dialogue isn't exactly the same. BTW, I know, I said I wouldn't redo the chapter from Don's eyes, but I can't help it. Art by River

opened an eye as the Winter of Vivaldi filled the room at full blast and he sat up immediately, heart racing, and already driven. It was the music he always used to wake up. Mikey heard the song once, that time Don caught him trying to spy on him, or steal something, and said it reminded him of the shower scene in Hitchcock's Psycho movie. He had snickered that it was fitting with Don's personality as he had been kicked out. Donatello had brushed the comment away.

For Don, it was the perfect soundtrack for the morning of another successful day making money. Donatello loved classical music, it was something common to the rich and genius'. The Winter wasn't a piece of music as sappy and cliché as Morning Mood to wake up to. In his air pod, he listened to the whole four Seasons from Vivaldi during his training, to keep himself grounded. It was a piece of very inspirational music and it fit his lifestyle; healthy and sharp in mind and body. 

To sleep, his favorite choice was Chopin’s Nocturne, as elegant, refined, and magnificent music could possibly be. The melody was sad and soft, and Don loved to think about the other people who listened to those compositions before him, feeling like he was in harmony with the universe for once. It makes him think of what it means and what it takes to be remembered even after you're gone. It filled his room and loneliness was not as cold anymore, but beautiful, meant to be. Anyway, he couldn't listen to music with lyrics. He had enough on his plate with his own emotions to fight, without getting slammed by the ones from the others. 

Last night, he didn’t have the time to appreciate it as he had swallowed a few sleeping pills to fall into a dreamless sleep. He had wanted to be sure to not have insomnia because of his conversation with Leon and to be tired in the morning. Today was the day and he needed to have his mental faculties well-rested. He would have the morning to overthink over Leo’s harsh refusal during his training. 

Now, he had no time to think about it. It was 5:30 and it was time to start his routine to not be late. He pulled his blanket away and jumped out of the bed. He made a few flexes in front of his mirror through the concerto’s apex as a quick four-minute warm-up, before making his bed as carefully as if a decoration mag was taking a picture of it. It was mandatory to live in a tidy and elegant environment to have his mind at ease, he told himself like a mantra as he set the cushions exactly the way they must be. Even if the house was on fire, Don couldn’t reach peace of mind if the bed wasn't made perfectly. People could call it OCD, he called it order.

He glanced at his own image, letting the anticipation show on his face since he was alone. Today was the interview day and they would enter into the apex of their career. 

It also meant the delay allowed to Leon was over. His brother had said he didn’t want to see Donnie for the whole day and Donatello had respected Leonardo’s wish. His brother was angry, he needed to calm down and reflect. That was something Don could understand. What he proposed to Leon meant a change in their family dynamic and in the way they would interact together from now on. It wasn’t something to take lightly and Leo could think it over. But today was another day and for Don, there wasn’t any doubt that after Leo had slept on it, he would understand that the branding wasn’t a requirement from him, but a mere spur of the moment suggestion. Don had become carried away, it could happen, even to him. He had held back his physical desire for so long, he had let slip something. 

Leo had been damn clear about not wanting to be branded. Fine. Donatello wouldn’t force Leonardo into it. Forcing Leonardo was a no in his book and he wanted to be sure to convince Leo about it. It’s true that the idea of a D marked in Leo’s flesh was feeding a need in him. To be honest, he hadn’t abandoned the whole idea, but he promised himself to not bring it up before Leo did it by himself willingly. It would be much more satisfying if Leo proposed it first. 

Donatello had given space to Leon. He had waited for his brother to calm down, but now, Don wanted to get his point across, before that damn job interview if possible to get rid of that nagging doubt. 

Even if he had refused the branding, Leo had agreed on the other terms. Don had been very clear and straightforward about what he wanted, right? He asked for Leo's consent, without exercising any pressure on him, didn’t he?

Leon had reacted very badly, but it changed nothing about the fact he accepted Don's offer beforehand and so, the fact stayed the same. Leo had agreed to be his. 

It was mandatory for Leo to admit it and also the whole deal of wanting to kick Don out and that he didn’t need him was only Leo overreacting. There’s no way Leon meant it.

The day before, Don had spent the whole day thinking about how to bring his brother to better dispositions and confirm he was still willing since Leo didn’t want to see him and he had nothing better to do than think. Those days off were taking a toll on him; much more than working 60 hours in four days. Idleness left him too much free time to think and sometimes thinking that deeply could lead to stirring some repressed feelings he didn’t want to resurface again. 

The first thing to do would be to apologize, he decided. He had to insist that if Leo didn’t want to be branded, Donnie would never speak a word about it again. He would show he was respectful and considerate and then let Leo ponder on it. They would go to that interview, get the job, come back home and Don would invite Leo in his bathroom again if he gave him a green light. If not, he would wait again for a few days. Leonardo was worth waiting for and being patient; Don had said he was his soulmate and he hadn’t exaggerated. It wasn’t the cheap small talk men used to do to get what they wanted. He really meant it.

Don knew Leo for twenty years and it had never been a mystery for him that he had wanted the cute canteen turtle for himself. Back then, Leo was gazing at baby Michelangelo with devotion and was eagerly doing everything people asked him in his desire to please and be loved. Donatello had wanted the turtle to look at him with as much adoration; he had wanted someone working hard to get his love, it was something he never had, he had thought. 

He came from a lab and if the scientists and nurses had something for him, it was more expectations. Raph looked at him with a passive admiration, but it wasn’t the same; he couldn’t tell exactly why. The canteen turtle had affected him enough to go out of his way and desert the library to watch him. Twenty years later, it hadn’t changed much, except that Don had better control over himself. Some part of Leo was still a mystery to him, and they weren’t on the same page as they had been once they started living together and when they started their new family business. The Champagne night had been the epitome, but after that everything went downhill. Don could only blame himself for it. He had yielded to his desire and acted as if nothing had happened, leaving poor Leon probably confused. The fact was neither of them was maybe ready at the time, well, Don knew he hadn’t been, even if he loved to think he was ready for everything. But now, it wasn’t too late. Maybe he should apologize for the Champagne night, too?

To apologize wasn’t something usual for him; not because he was too prideful, only because mistakes barely ever occurred for him. But some sincere apologies would put Leonardo in a good mood. He knew his brother, Leo wasn’t someone to hold a grudge, not for him, anyway. 

He opened his left drawer, gazing at his brothers’ pictures. It was the same that he had pinned on his board in his dormitory room. For them, he had to be strong and no more making mistakes, even less today when his professional and familial life was at stake. To prepare his heart and mind for anything the day could bring him, he always gazed at the pictures for a full minute, to strengthen his will almost first thing in the morning

It was 5:45 and so, it was time for training. He dressed in his grey Lululemon gym shorts, slid his cellphone into the pocket, and climbed down his private staircase to go to the Dojo. He was half naked but he was damn sure to not meet anyone on his way. He knew his brothers' routine by heart. They were sleeping. 

Besides the gym shorts, the only thing that Don wore was the master bracelet now fully functional. It was the only time he had been out of his office the day before; to give a piece of his mind to the guy who had sold him the bracelets. He had made sure it was fixed and had stared a moment at the other kind of merchandise. It was an illegal store, doing shady business with human trafficing and sex slavery, but to make business with that kind of people wasn’t bothering Donatello a bit if it meant his brother could be safer. 

His mouth had become dry with desire at seeing some of the devices, like the vibrating chastity belt, but he had wisely looked away. To want too much, too fast, would ruin everything. If he suggested something that could turn Leo off again, it would take months to turn him back to his receptive spirit.

Donnie had to be content with Leo purring on his lap and agreeing to their special relationship. If Leon was so happy with him, maybe even the bracelet wouldn't be mandatory, anymore. Leo would stay obediently by his side, too blissful to even look elsewhere and return to his loveable, nurturing nature he missed so much.

Alas, he wasn’t there, yet.

Donatello set the speed of his elliptical and the time for 30 minutes. As he trained, he pondered again about why Leo had reacted so strongly. Was it because of how definitive branding was? As he had pointed out, he wasn’t a random sex partner. Whatever happened to them, Don would always be meaningful for Leo, wouldn’t he?

Was it because of the pain? It was a mere D, not his full name! Leonardo had been trained to maim or kill without any emotion. Don knew from first-hand knowledge, that Leo had a thing for very rough sex. Also, Leo knew Don would take great care of him, right? And he would have studied beforehand how to do it without causing unnecessary pain and he would apply the ointment himself every day until he healed. 

The burn wasn’t necessary, It could have been a tattoo, too. Don wanted to leave a mark, but burned, scarified, or inked didn’t matter to him. Leonardo could choose how he wanted it. Maybe then he would be less opposed. Don only wanted to get evidence of Leo’s commitment to him. He didn’t even understand why Leo had been so shocked Don wanted to leave a mark on him, to begin with. 

For half of his life, Don had barely been conscious of it, acting for the best of their family on instinct, without overthinking it. But now, it was clear for him that everything he did had been made with that in mind. They had always been a couple.

Don had freed Leonardo from a life of slavery at the orphanage, well aware of Mikey’s existence, and how important he was for Leonardo. He had accepted him, vowed to protect him, and from then on, had treated him like his own son, with even more care than an older brother would have done. He had accepted he had to discipline Mikey even if he hated the loss of control coming from violence. He had no choice, Leonardo spoiled Mikey too much. He had always been too weak with Mikey, even accepting to touch him that way. Don was damn sure Leonardo didn’t feel the slightest sexual desire for Mikey. There was no way he reacted to Mikey as he reacted to him. There always had been something special between them.

The flashing dot kicked him out of it; the 30 minutes was already gone. Time for some boxing. Absentmindedly, he put his gloves on. 

He had trusted Leonardo with the place he hid his savings and also with Raphael, allowing him to touch him and even bathe him. Don didn’t want to let his mind linger on that topic, but it was very hard for him to allow such. How Raph had been martyred and molested at the orphanage would always stay in his mind. Don still regretted having acted too late. He wasn’t sure Raph remembered it. The concussion he got from having had his head slammed on the concrete to stop struggling as he was molested, had left him with memory loss and a permanent inability to speak. So to let Leo bathe Raph and to care for him and their whole family and household, when he wasn’t around, was a testimony of the trust one could have for his life partner. 

Why did Leo always make him the mean one? Don put food on the family’s table, did he? Didn’t their whole family have everything they need, anything they want? Why could Leo not see how hard Don had worked to give all of them a good life? Their family had always been Don’s sole priority. 

Don had always felt Leonardo resented that he attended the private school. He never wanted to be sent away and leave Leo and their family behind! He had hated most of his time there! If he did make the sacrifice to go to that private school it was with the objective to get into a great University. Was it his fault if it didn’t work out? Donatello had the best grades in the whole school. Splinter was too much of a broken ass and Don hadn’t enough savings to spend on himself when he had three brothers to care for. Why the Baron stopped paying the fees of his education, he had no idea. It was like when he got sent to the orphanage; despite working very hard to go beyond perfection, it seemed it was never enough. Leo was the same, looking at him with cold eyes and wanting him to leave the Ramen Shop after all that Don had done for the shop and them.

Why would Leo want that? Could he believe he could live without him? Don wasn’t upset by the situation, no, he wasn’t! Just confused about all the mixed-signals Leo was sending him. Leon was reactive to him, to his touch. He had no problem with Don being dominant and rough. It was obvious the game they had played in the bath had turned him on. Don had promised to be faithful with seriousness and sincerity.

And Leo had said yes.

Don realized he needed to take a water break. He was sweating and panting and maybe had got a little too excited with the punching bag. He wondered what April would say if she could see him since she said she can’t picture him using a punching bag. Would Leo be aroused to see his face so expressive, because he guessed he had one, right now? A glance at the mirror confirmed it and he poured down his nervous throat half of his water bottle. 

Why would Leo step back? Why would Leo refuse him when Don built the courage to finally spell aloud what he wanted? Donatello never wanted anything for himself. Whatever he did was for their family. Leon should know Don would treat him right, he always did. They could disapprove of the bracelet, it wasn’t hurting Leo. Well, he had got shocked, but Leo had been the foolish one to disobey his orders. Wasn’t Leo supposed to be smart?

The water break was over. Don stood in front of the punching bag, giving it a sucker punch.

After years of having seen Leo whore himself, bearing with it in silence, despite how it was driving him crazy, could Leo accept to be one turtle man, for fuck sake? As he was cursed to be so attracted to him, he knew Leo felt the same. 

Don started a very fast sequence of hook, jab, punch, and uppercut as he again comforted himself with reasoning.

After a lifetime living with him, Don knew Leo the best. It was impossible someone could make him moan more wantonly than when Leo was moaning Donnie’s name. So what was Leo’s problem? Don deserved Leon for his hard work and was very serious about the whole thing. He was convinced he was the best match for his brother.

Why had Leo changed his mind so much about being with him to the point he wanted to kick Don out of their house? Did Leo not feel how their bodies, their souls were compatible? Don just needed Leo to give him another chance. He would sex him up so good, Leon would be so satisfied that he wouldn’t want any other partner after. Don would make sure to not let go of him before he passes out like the Champagne night! Why would he seek someone else when he had someone at home feeding his needs and genuinely caring for him? All the other people Leon slept with were mostly curious about his turtle body, when Don’s desire to be with him was very sincere.

His watch flashed and he removed his air pods, taking another gulp of water, before wiping his forehead. He hated to remember what Leo did with other people and how Leo dared to call him his pimp. Why did Leo rub it in his face? Was he having that much fun humiliating Donnie? Was Leo aware of the state he was putting Don in every time?

Thinking back on all of those targets and maybe the other people he didn’t know about, Don realized there was a bummer in his plan. What if Leo needed full sexual intercourse to be satisfied? Of course, Don wasn’t a moron, he knew that the penetration was more fulfilling than mere foreplay, not only for Leo but for him as well. He still remembered vividly how it felt to have Leo’s insides clench around his shaft even if he tried to dismiss that memory daily. It had been a thrilling sensation, that would have led to dependency if Don had less strong wills. To be dependent on something was a big no in his book. It was showing an opening, a weak spot people could use against you. It was inviting someone inside of you, giving them full rein to mess you up internally and then, leaving when their job was done and you were only an empty shell. 

Don was resolute to stay at the foreplay level to be sure they wouldn’t get too emotionally involved. If Leo started feeling, he would start to get too demanding for what Donatello was willing to give for now. Don was already committed enough like that actually, thinking of his siblings nonstop. 

Could it be what Leo wanted? Commitment? Love? With a scowl, he remembered how Leo had tried to kiss him, and called him baby. If Leonardo wanted to be romanced and loved it was a huge bump in the road. Don wasn’t ready, or rather, the situation wasn’t. 

Why Donatello was so firm to not be in a loving relationship was to be sure to be able to focus on their business. Feelings would only get in the way. He was sure they got busted because, in the last two weeks, his focus was slightly off because Leo had driven him crazy with all his teasing. This last mission would be long, tricky, and potentially dangerous. Don needed no distraction to lead them to success, but then, what after, he surprised himself to think. The guy promised $675,000 annually for Don and for each of his brothers. With that and their savings, none of his brothers would have to work anymore and he could do a remote and legit job, like project manager, just to keep himself busy while his brothers could lay on their shells if they wanted to. It was what he had always promised them, the prospect they made so much sacrifice for. They could then have that cabin in the forest near a lake he had dreamed about. Don would have nothing to worry about, it would feel like a vacation. 

He released a shaky breath, imagining them safe and carefree. Could they afford their own Island, to be sure to stay away from humans? 

In those conditions with his mind at ease about their wealth and safety, Don could be Leo’s lover and pay him full attention. They just have to keep it low key in front of their brothers. It wasn’t because Don was ashamed or anything. But his brothers were very likely to never find a lover and he didn’t want to rub it in their faces. Maybe Mikey could, but he seemed to have made such poor life choices until then, Don was sure to not let Mikey date someone he didn’t approve of beforehand. Raph was far too precious and sensitive to risk his poor soul in any relationship with an outsider.

Could Leo be content with what he had to offer for now? It was only a four-month wait, tops. Could Leo keep his legs squeezed together until then, damn it?

 _“What if he refuses to listen to you, and calls it quits?”_ a voice snarled in his mind. Don shook his head, refusing to let his thought linger on this. He needed to be calm and composed. He had promised himself to not take any “enhancing performance” drugs today and be sharp and alert by himself. If anything, the cocaine was the reason he had made such a tactical error with Leo. Of course, he couldn’t explain that to Leo. It would admit how weak Don could be and there was no way he would admit any weakness. 

Now, it was 6h30 and he had to take a shower. He couldn't continue to ponder over that. He had to go on and follow his schedule. He couldn't afford to be late or to look sloppy. He would continue with his reflections when he was ready.

To be sure to not spill some of his smoothie on the expensive suit he had planned to wear, he made a slight change to his routine, having breakfast before the shower. Even if he wasn’t hungry at all, he forced himself to not waste it and he drank it all and made himself an espresso. He sipped it quietly, trying to order his thoughts again, alone in the silent kitchen. He wasn’t nervous, he wasn’t, and to distract his mind, he tried to focus on the things that deserved to be worried about, like Mikey and Raph’s job interview. He did make them practice, well, mostly Mikey, but had it been enough? He didn’t even talk with Leo about what he was supposed to say. Usually, he trusted Leon’s capacity, but a briefing was mandatory for them to have the same version about why they wanted to work at the Grand Nexus Hotel. He promised for once to put the business matter on the back burner. To settle things between him and Leo was necessary before any work-related briefing. Leonardo wouldn’t listen to anything while he was angry.

_“What if he doesn’t even want to go? What if he messes it up on purpose? He said he would do his best as your associate if you agree to leave after, and of course, you didn’t…”_

Don doubted Leo would mess up the interview on purpose, but he did realize he needed to calm Leon down or everything would go downhill. Perhaps a greeting email would prepare Leo’s mind? Don knew Leo hated email, but this one would be different. Besides, Donnie hadn’t sent him any emails for days! He bits his lips debating and he finally pulled his cellphone out of his gym shorts.

**_“Good morning, Leon. I hope this email finds you well and in a good mood. I tried to give you space, despite my deep desire of….”_ **

Donatello groaned and erased it. He wouldn’t leave writing evidence of any feelings-or desire, for the matter, for Leo to mock him with Mikey after.

**_“Good morning, Leonardo. Don’t forget about our appointment. We will leave at 9:00. I will be in your room at 8:30.”_ **

Thirty minutes was a good approximation of the time it would take to expose his mea culpa and then, do his briefing. 

He glanced at the time on the screen and stood up in a hurry. All this overthinking was making him late: it was 7:10 and his brothers were probably waking up. He pressed send without continuing the message.  
  
In the shower, he masturbated methodically, giving hard and steady pulls, as he did daily, to sate his more basic needs. Leonardo crept into his mind and for once, he didn't fight it. 

Leon was his to fantasize about.

He chose his best clothes and as he dressed with even more care than usual, it flashed in his mind that he was much more grooming himself for his talk with Leo than for any job interview. He took a step closer, scowling at his burst lip. He hoped it wasn’t obvious from across a desk. 

It was now 7:55 and he was ready. But he couldn’t knock at Leo’s door so early, after having said he would be there at 8:30. To keep his mind busy, he opened the second laptop in his room and studied again everything to know about the Grand Nexus Hotel; layout, employee names,etc. But despite trying to give it his full attention, he couldn’t shake off the anxiety and the long string of “what if…” that unfolded in his mind. He wanted to get over it and go talk to Leo, but then, it would confess he had been anxious. Donatello ran his hand down his face. This is exactly why he didn’t want a romantic relationship! To be able to focus on his job, for fuck’s sake! He had been too weak, been too close and now, he was paying for those excesses. He should not have indulged two days in a row by fooling around with Leonardo! Now he couldn’t get the prick out of his head!

He pulled his phone out to see if the jerk replied to his email. Of course, he didn’t, but Don wasn’t that surprised. Leon had made it crystal clear how much he hated emails. That wasn’t making him feel any better.

8:18

The contents hidden in his right drawer kept nagging at his mind too. There were too many things at once to resist and suddenly, for one of the first times of his life, Don was actually afraid he wouldn’t be able to keep a steady front. The drug would give him a boost that would last the thirty minutes of his conversation with Leon. He pulled open his right drawer, did two lines, snorted them and so ashamed of his lack of control, he ran to flush the whole stock. When he would see April, he would ask her to raise her price, to be not tempted anymore to buy. Anyway, he was able to do without it before, right? He built the whole business without it! He just started after the damn Champagne night and well, it was for standing only.

He sat then on his bed, waiting the three minutes it took to make its effect, feeling self-loathing for how weak he was. 

8:25 

Again Don examined himself in his mirror, making sure he looked flawless. To show he was in control of his nerves, he decided to go check on Raph before. At this time, Raph was having breakfast and so, he didn’t stop by Raph’s room and went straight to the kitchen.

Indeed, Raph was there, all dressed in the suit Don pulled out for him the day before. Only the necktie was a little crooked. He had a quick smile, stirred by how Raph had tried hard.

“Let me help you, Raph,” he said kindly. Raph bent slightly over to allow Don to redo his necktie. “There, you look perfect.” He added to his comment a tap on Raph’s shell. It was one touching on his two physical contacts done. “Have you seen Mikey and Leon?”

Raph shook his head, gazing down and Don held back a sigh. Even if he knew he should know better, Raph’s lack of progress despite his efforts was reaching at him.

“We are leaving soon.”Don stared at the four chocolate croissants out of the oven. Raph was obviously nervous. “I’m going to check on them. Be sure to wash your face and your teeth after your breakfast.” 

It was now the time he had waited for the last 24 hours or so, and Don climbed the stairs, forcing himself into keeping a steady, slow pace and having a more composed face with each step.

He heard an exclamation and recognized Mikey’s voice. He was in front of the door when Leo spoke:

“I’m fine! We don’t need to tell that jerk anything!”

Instinctively, Donatello knew he was the jerk, and sucking in a deep breath to stay cool, he knocked at the door.

“Leonardo? Michael? Are you ready?” If he was calm, Leo would be. There was something in psychology called the mirror effect. April told him about it once. “You didn’t reply to my email.” 

There was a short silence.

“Leo is sick,” Mikey exclaimed and Don raised his eyebrows in surprise. 

What’s with that bullshit? Leon was never sick. Mutants were well known for their stamina and resistance to illness. Well, Leo had been sick once, when they were around four. Splinter had missed a few power bills and Leo got pneumonia. It had been from then that Don had decided he would keep the money and pay all the bills himself. He had also forced Splinter into pawning a few useless things like the Tv for them to buy a humidifier to help Leo’s recovery.

“We need to…” Mikey continued only to be interrupted sharply by Leonardo protesting he was fine, but from the other side of the door, Don could tell there was something wrong with Leo indeed.

“Leon? Sick?” Donatello pushed open the door and walked in, with great strides, zeroing in on Leo’s sulking form. Immediately, his brother tried to get away. He barely had the time to receive Leon glare as acutely as a dagger full in his chest.

“I’m fine.” Leo stubbornly repeated. He snatched a suit laying on his bed and stared to dress, shell facing Don.“Get the fuck out of my room!” 

From his spot, Don couldn’t see his face, but by his voice and how stiff Leo was he knew something was definitely wrong. 

“Leonardo, are you sure you are fine?” Don asked, his voice neutral, so Leon would lower his guard. He slowly turned his head, taking a dive into Mikey’s soul. Mikey was more likely to spill the beans. Leo was too thick-headed with him, probably aware of how Don was unable to punish him too harshly. “What is the matter? Why did you say he is sick?”

“I’m not!” Leo said, grabbing his vest. “Mikey is delusional.” Don seized his arm.

“What’s gotten into you, Leon?” Don wondered, not really pressing the matter. Nerves got the best of him and he yanked Leonardo to him. “Answer me.” He burned holes into Leon, but the bastard was averting his eyes. 

“Leo’s bite mark is getting infected and he is running a fever,” Mikey blurted out, probably thinking Don was speaking to him when Donatello had completely forgotten Mikey was there. 

“Show me.” Despite the shame and regret he felt, Donnie wasn’t the kind of mutant to run away from responsibility. He told himself that if Mikey got the hint, it was maybe for the best, but if Leon was sick because of him, he really had to make up for it. He was about to kick Mikey out, apologize and put Leo back in bed to watch over him, or even drive him to the hospital when he remembered the damn mission. He barely had the time to clean the wound, disinfect, and make Leon take some Tylenol. If Leo wasn’t hired, Donnie would have to blame himself: he had been the animal with no self-control at all. 

Since Leo wasn’t obeying his order, he pulled gently on the shirt, not fully buttoned yet to see the place he knew he had bitten himself. Indeed, it was reddish and swollen and he felt a sharp sting of guilt.

Don released a shaky sigh.

“Go grab some Tylenol for his fever!” he told Mikey. Mikey wasn’t moving and the only thing keeping Don grounded was that he had no right to snap. “Bring me back a hand towel, a bowl of cold water, an antiseptic cream, liquid soap, and an ice pack,” Don enumerated. “Hurry!” 

Mikey dashed and Don turned toward Leo, studying him. It was apparent Leon wasn’t only sick but pretty mad. That he hadn’t punched Don or kicked him out yet, was because he wasn’t feeling well probably.

Mikey returned to give them the Tylenol and the cream and ran to the kitchen to grab the rest.

“We need to clean your wound.”Donatello used his smoothest voice. He let go of Leo’s arm but stretched his hand in an inviting, not too invasive, gesture. He wanted Leo to follow him into the bathroom to clean the wound. He didn’t need the things he asked Mikey to get. It was only an excuse to be alone with Leonardo. “Come with me.”

Leo wasn’t moving and carefully, Don tried to grab Leo’s hand to drag him gently to the bathroom, but Leonardo resisted.

“I’m perfectly able to take care of it myself!” he protested, breaking the hold harshly. “Don’t you dare to land a hand on me and I mean it!” he snarled, eyes blazing with fury.   
“Well, it seems that’s not true, since it’s infected!”Don countered, logical. “It looks as if you didn’t even clean it!” 

“Mind your own business,” Leonardo hissed. “I’m gonna clean it and take care of it all by myself.”

Boldy, Leonardo took a step forward and shoved Don out of his path to go to the bathroom alone, but again, Don snatched his arm. Which game was Leo playing? Don wanted only to help. Half of the bite was on Leo’s shoulder blade and so, he couldn’t have a good view of it.

“Since that bite mark is mine, this is my business,” he growled. He wouldn’t beg Leo to accept his help. Donatello had his pride. “Go into the bathroom and clean it by yourself, but I’m not moving from here.”

With a derisive snort, Leo walked in and a few seconds later, Don heard the tap running. He debated a moment about how he should behave. He could give Leo some space, but he had to show he was impressed by his outrageous act. To tame a wild animal, one should show no fear.

He walked to the bathroom, leaning against the frame of the bathroom door, his eyes drilled on his brother. He watched with a scowl as a bare-chested Leonardo looked at his own image in the mirror. 

It was time to say aloud the speech he had kept repeating silently the whole morning.

“I’m sorry.” He suddenly didn’t remember anything more than that, but he had to keep going. Leo wasn’t even looking at him. He continued to clean his wound with an imperceptible wincing. “I didn’t mean to bite you that deep. I’m sorry,” he said again. “I got carried away.” He made sure to remember that Leo wasn’t only mad because of the bite. Don had been very carried away the day before. “And I’m sorry too for having suggested branding,” he continued, squaring his shoulder to show he wasn’t denying anything and was genuine. “I didn’t mean to scare you off. I did ask how you feel about it. It was only a question. I would never brand you without your consent. Now that I know how you feel, I won’t speak a word about it anymore.”

“Bullshit!” Leonardo glared at him with all his might. With a jerky move, he threw the hand towel he had used to wash. “I know you, Donatello,” he snarled with such hatred, Don wasn’t expecting it fully. “You said you won’t talk about it anymore, but we both know that abandoning an idea isn't you. If it is not branding, you will find another way.”Don continued to listen, speechless. Was he that obvious? “Are you denying you want to own me?” 

Don pondered before replying as Leo wiped his collarbone dry. Absentmindedly, Don handed Leo the cream and he took it with a snarl.

The question was tricky, but being a liar wasn’t him. For what he wanted to build with Leonardo, he had to be fully sincere.

“I’m not denying anything,” he finally admitted in a quiet voice and Leo slowed his moves, as if he didn't expect Donnie would be so honest. “I told you I wanted you. You said you know me and so, who I am. I told you I want us to be in an exclusive relationship and you agree.”

This was the important point Don needed to get across. This is what had plunged him into uncertainty and stress the whole day. That Leo had changed his mind and Don had to make a fight of it. He so hated fights. “Maybe what I suggested was too radical for your comfort zone, but I’m still confused about how harsh your reaction was.” Don took a deep breath. He had to speak about his feelings, something he always dreaded to do. “You acted as if I had forced you and told me very hurtful things like you wanted me to leave this house. This is the home we built together, Leon; you and me.” Don used his most stern voice for Leo to not use against him the advantage as Don slightly opened up. “There’s no way I will leave. You will have to drag my dead body out of here, if you want it so much.” 

Don burned holes in Leo, but his brother didn’t flitch. It was something that he wasn’t sure if he loved or hated in Leonardo. How fearlessly he kept his ground. Don finally decided it was annoying. “As to own you, why are you making it sound like that is a bad thing? That means you are precious to me.” Donatello didn’t add that he was afraid to lose him; it was hinted enough, already.”

“Precious?”Leo repeated the word and to Don’s astonishment, his brother turned livid with evident anger. “Precious as your watch, your car, your numismatic collection?” he enumerated, so furious, Don braced himself for the upcoming punch. “Precious like your original Van Gogh? This is why we both have a security alarm?” he shouted, waving his wrist under Donnie’s nose.

“Don’t be silly. Of course, I love you more,” Donatello protested, before shutting himself up, having uttered the L word. He never meant to say it. He hoped Leo wouldn’t misunderstand him. How Leonardo was staring at him made him feel self-conscious. Leonardo wasn’t moved by the declaration, but he wasn’t as angry either. He seemed to be waiting for what would be Don’s next move and Don had an image of a dormant volcano that could erupt anytime. One wrong word from him and Leonardo would kick him in the face. Sometimes, his brother had the volatile behavior of a diva. That was his fault again, he had spoiled Leo too much and turned the cute canteen turtle into a demanding and hard to please creature. It was challenging, but sometimes, Don would wish Leo could be more reasonable. 

Suddenly he heard yelling and he jumped on the opportunity to take a breather from Leo’s prying eyes. 

“I will be right back, Leon. Please, spread the cream on your wound.”

Don rushed out of Leo's room without waiting for an answer. What did he do, he wondered, his heart pounding and he again blamed the drug. Thank god, he had flushed the rest. It was making him act recklessly like he was Leon or Mikey. 

“What is happening?” Don asked, bending over the balustrade. Not sure if he was relieved or annoyed about the interruption.“Where is the ice pack!” Mikey was taking his sweet time. He could still press the icepack on Leo’s shoulder to numb the pain and prevent it from swelling. “Mikey!” he shouted when he saw his brother’s form. Mikey looked weird. What was going on?

“I think…” Mikey seemed to hesitate. “Raph isn’t well.”

“For god’s sake!” Leo was sick and now, Raph? If he was superstitious, he would think that it was a warning from invisible forces to tell him he should not go to the interview. “Why am I cursed to have siblings and to care about them, I wonder!” Donatello sighed. The damn interview was mandatory for them to reach that peaceful and carefree state Don wanted for his siblings. They couldn’t afford to be late. “I’m coming,” he finally said. Raph was maybe sick from his too heavy breakfast and nothing more, but it was Don’s duty to check over him and comfort him. Maybe meanwhile Leo would pull himself together, swallow two Tylenol and be ready without Don having to continue that conversation.

Since when was he such a coward?

“I will take care of him!” Mikey exclaimed, and he rushed to give him the useless water bowl and the ice pack.

Don has no choice but to thank him and returned to face Leo and the tension he brought on himself.

“Heeellllo.” 

Don rolled his eyes and swallowed back a string of curses. What April was doing there? She knew they had this business appointment. 

“This day just keeps getting better,” Donatello sighed. “Mikey, kick her out! Leon is already in a sour mood. I don’t want April to further anger him,” he told him before turning his back. He had left his brother’s bedroom door open. Leonardo had probably heard April’s exclamation and he knew how edgy Leo turned when she was around. His phone was vibrating in his jacket, meaning it was the time he had set for leaving. He glanced at his watch to be sure. Indeed, it was 9:00. “Leon and I will join you in the car in ten minutes.” If they were sitting in the car in ten minutes, they would be alright.

In Leo’s bedroom, his brother was already getting dressed and even if it was a relief to see Leo would soon be ready, his overprotective side would have liked to see if Leo used the ointment.

“What are you doing? I don’t need you,” Leonardo snapped as he stepped into the room.

“Did you take some Tylenol?”Don asked, dismissing Leo’s aggressive tone.

“Why would I? I’m only your precious doll.” The three minutes Don had been out, Leonardo had returned to his state of cold anger. He should not have peeled his eyes off of him. “Doll didn’t need anything out of playtime.”

Don frowned. What was with that? He only asked Leon if he took the pills! It was a mere question to show he cared for his fever!

“You are putting words in my mouth I never said.” Donnie tried to remain calm. For an unknown reason, Leo seemed mad Don had told him he was precious. He never heard of such nonsense. If someone called him precious, he would be delighted, but he never heard such a sweet, loving word in his whole life. He chastised himself for the use of the loving word. But if he had to be honest, he would have liked Leo to call him precious, but that was something Leonardo would only do for Mikey. Leo getting angry at it, when Don must be the upset one, was taking the damn cake! “If you want to be angry, fine, but please don’t gamble with your health.”

“Of course, I should not gamble with my health! What will happen if I die, I wonder?” Leo buttoned his shirt with a sneer on his face. “I guess you will miss me as an employee, but I wonder what you will do with my body. Would you rubberize me and put me in the hall or something as decoration?”Leo had dark chuckles and Don cast on him a concerned look. Where was this coming from? “Then, you can burn my flesh as you wish without having to bother with my consent. I bet you will leave my bracelet on, so no one dares to steal your precious statue.”

“Fever is making you delusional, I’m afraid.” Don’s tone was clipped. He didn’t want to sound too upset about how crazy Leo’s speech was. It would only encourage him further. “Dress. I’m going to bring you water to swallow the pills easily.”

He walked to the bathroom and opened the tap again, grabbing the glass next to the sink. He waited as the water ran colder, or rather pretended he was. The fact was he didn’t feel like looking Leo in the eyes right now.

“You are not my doll, you are my brother and I told you, my soulmate. I hate when you depreciate yourself. When I say you are precious, I mean it in a very good way.” Don couldn't believe he had to spell it aloud. He filled the glass, but didn’t walk out of the bathroom yet. “Your demise would be such a blow for me, I don’t think I would survive it.” It was such an unbearable thought, he didn’t let his mind linger on it. But he had to convince Leo that all he said was nonsense. “If my VanGogh was stolen, I know I could collect the insurance money and buy another one. You’re unique, Leon and I deeply care for you.”

Considering he had said enough and couldn’t stay hidden longer, he stepped out of the bathroom, meeting Leo’s burning gaze immediately. 

“I’m precious, I’m your soulmate, I’m unique and you care deeply, but what if this isn’t what I want?”Leo asked. What did he want? If it was about something Don could buy him, he would pay any price to exit this situation and not be late to the appointment. “You care so much, you want to carve your name on me, but you can’t commit yourself to a single kiss?”

Why did Leo care so much to be kissed or not? Don opened and closed his mouth as Leo was doing his necktie. He wasn’t sure how to start, not wanting to lead Leo to any misunderstanding or even make him even more pissed. Anyway, there was no way he couldn’t explain why in less than five minutes. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to kiss Leo. It wasn’t like he wasn’t jerking off thinking of it. It was that they should restrain themselves for now. 

“I mean that much to you, but you want to hide it from our own family?” Leo snarled. “As if you were ashamed of us? You say shit about wanting us in a relationship, but not outside of your bathroom! Because I’m not even worthy of your bed?”

Leonardo was all wrong, but it was like the kiss. He had no time to explain himself. 

“You seemed to enjoy yourself before I brought it up,” Don said. Leo stiffly redid his tie, unsatisfied by the result, like he didn’t hear him.

“I never meant to hurt you.” Don continued softly after having waited a moment. He was aware he was dodging the question but hoped his caring and soft demeanor would deflagrate Leo’s fury. “And I told you I had abandoned that idea.” Don sighed. “I won’t brand you against your will. You have no reason to worry.”

“No reason to worry?” Leo spun toward Don, grabbing his vest and putting it on. “We can get a little crazy just for fun, but fun is like love, or empathy, or anything not making money,” he snarled. “You don’t know a single thing about it!”

Leo finished buttoning his vest as Don looked at him. They needed to talk, but was Leo not realizing it was impossible when it was probably 9:10, already? He didn’t dare to glance at his watch and check the time to anger Leo even more.

“Please, take the Tylenol.” He pulled out two pills from the container. “It will lower your fever. We will talk about it later,” he said, handing the pills to Leo.

Leo sighed with exasperation and put on his jacket.

“I don’t need it.” He slapped Don’s hand away. “And I don’t need to talk to you! I’m done with you! I told you so!” He turned toward Don, glaring with all his might, but Don was now as riled up as Leonardo. What he had feared was happening. After having teased and tempted him so much, made him express his feelings, Leonardo wanted to step out and return to his whore ways. “I’m only going to this interview to do my part of the deal!” Leonardo snarled, recalling to Don how he wanted him out of his life, now.

All of it because Don refused to kiss him? Was Leon a girl to have those demands? He wanted kisses and refused the pills? Maybe it was the fever talking, but Don would serve him right.

“Tsk, so stubborn!”

Don acted on an impulse. He snatched Leo arm’s, threw the pills in his mouth, and before Leonardo could react, he yanked Leo to him. He pressed against him hard and kissed him as he was dying to do before Leo had even asked for it. With his tongue, he shoved the pills down his throat and couldn’t stop himself from cupping Leonardo’s ass as a way to prevent him from struggling. His brother was starting to react, responding to the kiss. Leo’s tongue tasted of green mint, and the warmth and the softness of his tongue reminded Don of the heat of Leo’s core and his cock twitched at the memory. The kiss wasn’t to make Leo shut up anymore but self-indulging and he broke free.  
  
Leo was gazing at him, with his bedroom eyes and Don had to show he wasn’t a weakness on his part. Only a way to make him shut up and take the damn pills. But before he drowned a moment more into the dark orbs, glazed by arousal. That sigh, those eyes, were for him and him alone. It was the point he needed to get across, the one he would go as low as actively fighting for it: the exclusivity. 

His brother seemed dazed, he had to use the rare advantage that Leo was speechless.  
  
“Now that you swallowed them, let’s move,” he said, trying to sound severe and not show his own trouble. At the hotel, Leonardo would probably meet a lot of new mutants. Leo couldn’t fit all human beauty standards, but Donnie knew for sure Leo would be damn attractive for the customers and staff at that place. The mission was to ensure them a better future, not to widen Leo’s partner choice. He wanted it crystal clear; he wouldn’t go anywhere, success or not. If it wasn’t for him, Leonardo would be still at the orphanage, living like a slave, since no one cared about mutant living conditions. Or he would have been kicked out and have to whore himself to eat. Don always worked to assure his brothers enviable life conditions. He didn’t work that hard to see Leo being stolen.   
  
“Mark my words: this conversation isn’t over, Leon. I never agreed to your deal, when you agreed to mine willingly. Don’t think you can shake it off as if nothing happened!” He tried to resist the igniting wrath in him. “You told me yes!” It sounded almost desperate and Don shut up, feeling drained. To speak so long about himself and such matters was too exhausting. The kiss had left him aching too and now, they needed to move on to the mission or they would not leave this room for the whole day. A bedroom wasn’t a good place to have a fight with Leon.

A tense silence followed while Leo watched him.

Honking sounds broke the silence and Don would have jumped out of his shell if he wasn’t used to having a hold on his own body when his phone rang. Before taking the call, he had the time to see the caller ID. Shit.

“What?” Never was Don so rude when taking a call. But it was only April. It wasn’t like he had to put on gloves with her.  
  
“What is taking you so long!”April complained on the speakerphone. “We are waiting in the car! And this damn dress is itchy! I can’t wait to take it off!”

“I’m busy with business!” Donatello snapped to the phone before realizing. Dress? April? Waiting in the car? “Wait, what are you doing in our car?” He kept his gaze on Leo, worried about his reaction. 

“Your bro Raph has such thick thighs and arms,” April sighed, dodging the damn question and Don could see the anger starting to gleam in Leo’s black irises. “I’m feeling all hot and bothered in here.”

Leonardo moved fast and was already at the door, kicking it open. Don had the time to see Mikey dash in front of it. He was probably spying on them, again. Donnie was pissed to have his privacy with Leonardo violated, but that wasn’t his main concern for now. Leo stabbing April was.

“Wait!” he used the momentum of Leo dazed by Mikey’s apparition to grab him by the arm. “I will kick her out by myself,” he promised. “And then, we will drive to that damn interview. Because of you, we are about to be late.” He just remembered he didn’t do the briefing he wanted. “About the interview, you can say you are a waiter at our Ramen shop, but customers are shaby and stingy and you want more tips and that’s why you are applying to that job as us. We are keeping this place open only out of respect to our deceased father,” he explained quickly as he dragged Leo out. 

Leonardo struggled and growled at Don to not touch him and how dare he speak of their father when he never showed the poor man any respect. 

“Of course, he was useless,” he started to answer and Leonardo tried to bite him. It was concerning to see his brother acting like an animal, but Don didn’t release his hold. “You have no room to judge me anyway; I always worked hard for our family, treated Mikey like my son and he never showed me any respect!” Don enumerated as they were leaving.

They were now in the garage and Leo turned even stiffer in his hand when they heard April's taunting voice.

“It’s too bad he didn’t choose a purple one, it would have been totally like the Joker’s car!”

“You!” Don felt like he was leaking steam from his nostrils as pissed as he was to see her. Leo was already hard to deal with without her.“What are you doing here! “You know that we are busy today. We are…”

“I know! You have the whole criminal turned hero business mission to do!” she flashed a smile and Don got a bad feeling. Of course, she knew and remembered. She wanted to tag along again! Doesn't she have better things to do than annoy the shit out of him? Why was she so clingy? 

“Remember, I was there when you got the call!” she continued. “Could you believe we were about to have sex when that jerk got a phone call and took it?” she snickered and Don thought nothing could shock him, his heart skipped a beat and he felt like fainting. April was purposely staring at Leo, with a huge grin plastered on her face. Was she crazy?   
  
“Don’t flatter yourself!” Donatello glanced at Leo. He hoped his brother didn't believe such a lie. “It didn’t happen like that!”

“Fair warning, I’m rough,” April said, mimicking Don’s voice and Don struggled hard to not jump on her to make her shut up. It would show she was telling the truth if he was enough out of his mind to react. That event was recent and Leo would think he had sex with April or wanted to. “I’m also more gifted by nature than humans, if you catch my drift,” the bitch continued. Under his fingers, he could feel the fury pouring out of Leo.“I told you because you seem to not understand what you are getting yourself into.”

With a harsh move, Leonardo disengaged himself and Donatello let him be, accepting that Leo had the right to be pissed right now. April antagonized him on purpose, just to get some twisted thrill. Why was he friend with her, anyway?

“I’m taking my car! Raph, Mikey, we’re off!” Leonardo glared at Don. “We’ll leave you alone with your girlfriend! See you at the hotel!”

Donatello wondered for a moment if Leo's jealousy was frustrating or cute. It was both, he decided. April chose the worst timing ever to drop such a bomb, and Don knew her enough to guess April knew it and still did it. Leo was already angry; because Don had made a kinky suggestion, Don had called him precious and some other nonsense. But now, April gave Leon a legit reason to be mad and Don had been too emotionally drained by his brother to be in a fighting spirit. They still have the interview to do. But he needed to at least calm Leo down enough for him to not gut April and have splatter on his blue suit. They have no time for Leo to go back and change, or to drag another body to the freezer.

“Don’t be silly, Leon.” He reached for his jacket to pull out a gold cigarette case. He has to smoke to calm down himself now. The drug had lost its effect and he didn’t want the withdrawal to be too sharp. Anyway, Leo knew already about his smoking habit and he guessed Mikey too. “April is messing with you,” he said, taking a drag as he composed himself even more. Suddenly, an idea came to him. Leonardo had reproached him for being ashamed of their relationship in front of their brothers when Don did it only for the family sake. But maybe it was a way to placate Leo. “You have no reason to be jealous. If anything, you are the closest thing I have to a girlfriend!” he declared, releasing a puff. It would be clear to Leo what he meant, but it was subtle enough for Mikey and Raph to not feel left out or upset.

Leonardo didn’t react at all, if anything, it seemed he was even angrier.

“What about taking your car, Mikey? It’s time you learn how to drive,” he said, dismissing Donnie, ignoring him and the fact Don had made them out in the open. How dare he? Why was he resenting Don for everything today, even more than usual?

“We are all going in the same car as a family!”Don hissed. Leo refusing to sit in his car rubbed him the wrong way, making him remember that Leo wanted to kick him out of their house.

“Anyway, you can’t go anywhere. You have the bracelet and, as you know, it’s a genuine tracking and shocking device.” Don was burning holes into Leo. He was done being accommodating today and trying to understand and coax his brother. “So, I kindly suggest you sit next to me in the car.”

They locked eyes for a moment and the atmosphere reached a new level of tension. Don didn’t want to pull a fight out of it. He felt it, exasperation and exhaustion were about to overwhelm him and he would snap. He didn’t want to show his brothers the ugly face of his anger. It was enough that Raph knew about it.

Don was bleeding at the edges of his vision and the air constricted tightly in his lungs. As if he could read his mind, Raphael acted. Just to see Raph gently leading Leo toward the car decreased the tension in Don’s whole body.

“You filthy piece of trash,” Leo muttered to Don, before climbing in the car. 

Insults meant nothing to Don if that meant Leo would stay there and listen to him. 

“Come on, Mikey, we are off,” Don said. “You, you sit in the front.” April was still there, smiling, very pleased with herself, obviously. He had to make a physical barrier between Leo and April and he had no strength nor time to argue with her as cherry on the cake. 

Don slid onto the back seat next to Leo. Leonardo was pressing himself against the door to avoid the slightest contact with Don, turning his shell and keeping his legs squeezed tight.

They were about mid-way and the ride was heavily silent except for April’s chit-chat that no one bothered to listen to. Don couldn’t wait to be out of the car. First, he was very uncomfortable squeezed between Leo and Mikey. Second, he felt oppressed. He scowled as he noted how much his control was slipping lately. As he had expected, yielding to his desire was opening the door to a lot of unwelcomed feelings. He couldn’t wait until the interview was over and they moved on and Leo and he could discuss things again. Maybe not today because Donnie was feeling too raw, and Leo too, but in a few days. For a moment, he wondered if it was that important. He would tell the guy they failed, and drive his siblings out of the city. Don has maybe enough savings for them to not be carefree, but survive. He swallowed down a sigh. Since when he was so negative and lacking ambition? He looked at his brothers trying to find inspiration and strengthen his will as he always does. He focused on Mikey, since Leo gave off too much “Do not Interact” vibes. 

It was then he saw Mikey’s feet. Don ran his hand in his face.

“I can’t believe I could have been that neglectful and not take a second look from head to toe!”

“Why so?”April chirped. Why was she the one replying? “That suit makes your body look very nice. It enhances your shoulders and your waistline. You look pretty hot, too Leon. Too bad, the jacket prevents me from having a good view of your asses.”

“Shut up! Why we don't stop to drop your body in the river, is beyond me!” Don snapped. How bold she was to talk of his and Leo’s asses! She could be horny, but there was a limit. April walked through life like she was playing Russian roulette. If she continued like that she wouldn’t reach 25 years old.  
  
“I wouldn’t mind,” Leo mumbled, still gazing through the window.

“And I told you many times to not call him that!”Donatello continued as if Leo didn’t speak. He didn’t want to say something to trigger him again.

“Anyway, it wasn’t about me!” he continued. “I can’t believe you, Mikey!” 

Mikey, startled, looked at Don. “How dare you wear running shoes with a suit, to such a critical appointment!” he needed to vent off a little of all that accumulated tension.

“Don’t scold him! He isn’t used to it!” Leo retorted aggressively like every time his dearest Mikey was the topic. “Instead of bothering me with your “cares”,” Leo made air quotes, “you could have helped him to choose!”

Don was speechless a moment to how cheeky Leo was, before turning indignant.

“It’s your fault! All that I wanted to do was to disinfect your wounds and then, give you Tylenol! It could have been a five-minute story, but no, you fought me, made unnecessary drama…” Don sucked in a deep breath to try to calm down, pinching the bridge of his snout. “I don’t understand you anymore, Leon.” Over the last few days, Don seemed to have lost hold on himself, and Leo was the same, not simply teasing, but very confrontational. It was beyond Donnie’s understanding. He had been more affectionate and honest with Leo, opening up only to have Leonardo push him away! What did that jerk want? 24 hours ago, he was purring on Don’s lap! Don wasn’t even angry, just confused and slightly upset. He wasn’t even able to find words to express his mental state right now. “You got more mood swings than PMS girl!”

April giggled and Don made the mental promise to never see April again. She could be his dealer, it wasn’t worth the hindrance she was. Anyway, he told himself he wouldn’t do drugs anymore. He should never have started. It had been to enhance his performance, but their new mission would be less time-consuming. He didn’t need anything, anymore. It was only making him weak and he refused to be dependent. 

“The PMS girl says Fuck you.” Leo’s reply had come sharp and cold."Are we there yet, I want to get this over with, already?" Leo sighed but then, he froze, before leaning over to be closer to the driver seat, grazing Don in the process. 

"You are so desperate to get rid of your 24 year old virginity, that you decided to stick with us at the interview," he snickered. Leo loved to rub in April’s face she was still a virgin and probably would be for life since she wasn’t attractive a bit. "I bet they have very manly guys, with huge cocks that aren’t too picky, right up your alley.” He chuckled and a cold shiver ran down Don’s spin and he straightened himself. 

"Three minutes." So as he had feared Leo was willing to bed everything in the place. But now it wouldn’t be just a mere provocation to rile him up. In Don’s book, it would be cheating, something he was damn sure to not accept. How his heart raced faster in his chest was making him sick. This is why he never wanted to be too involved. Why was he feeling so incensed and upset when he did his best to hold back? "And if you know what is good for you, for everybody, you won’t get too close to any male or female, staff or guests, that the Hotel has,” Donatello dropped coldly. He couldn’t say one word more; he was already almost on the verge of losing it.

“Big Red happy to go there. To see people. Purple has no worry to do. Big Red will protect our babies bro.”

Raphael’s intervention disabled his incoming fit and he smiled in relief to not have given himself in a show. 

“Thank you, Raph. I know you are reliable.” They never explicitly spoke about it, but Don knew Raph was kind of aware of how he felt toward Leonardo. Raphael would do his best for Leo and Mikey to not get himself in trouble. Raph couldn’t be very knowledgable about what sex looked like, but he knew enough to prevent his brothers doing something that he instinctively knew would would piss Donnnie off. 

They finally got to the hotel and the first thing Don did out of the car was to drag April away. 

“I don’t know what you are trying to achieve, but if Leon kills you, don’t complain to me after,” he hissed angrily, barely keeping himself in check to not shake her.

“I told you that I need a job, being your drug dealer isn’t making me a living despite how much you’ve increased your purchases. Thanks for your patronage by the way.” 

If they weren’t in the hotel lobby, and it would look bad to strike her, Don would do it.

“You are relieved your brother Raph kinda agrees to spy on your bros, but a spy that can’t make full sentences isn’t the same as a chatty, very clever one,” she said, her eyes shining with intent and mischief and Don, if he wasn’t so mad would be actually impressed about how smart a move it was. By that single sentence, she knew she just bought herself Don’s full blessing to be there.

“And for the record, if I agreed last time to have sex with you it was only to make you stop with your sexual harassment. I took the call, because it was the perfect emergency exit to not actually do it!” he mumbled before reaching the lobby desk. “Stop messing with my siblings by acting like my girlfriend already. You know you are not!”

He put on his polite face; the business one as he approached the employee.

“We have an appointment for an interview at 10:00 am,” Donatello said, to the guy at the lobby desk. He didn’t release his hold on April, to be sure she wouldn’t slap Leo’s ass or something else that would drive Leo beyond his boiling point and go all rampage in the lobby. 

He met Raph’s pleading gaze and by the way his oldest brother fidgeted Don understood that now Raphael’s anxiety was in his bladder.

“Where is the restroom?” he asked politely and when the guy pointed out the direction, Raph rushed to it. Don hoped that when Raph finished, he would remember to tuck his shirt in his pants. He scanned around and almost facepalmed when he saw Mikey’s stuffing his mouth with a lollipop. He didn’t want to scold him and make Leo snap back at him. They couldn’t afford to show dissension. They wouldn’t be hired. 

Seeing the lollipop sticking out of Mikey's mouth gave him a craving, Don lit up a cigarette after checking if there were any no-smoking signs. 

Raph came back and then returned to the restroom again.

Leonardo was pulling on his tie, like he was feeling too hot. He wasn’t looking professional anymore but thoroughly fuckable. He stared every time Leo wasn’t looking and erotic scenarios flashed in his mind. Don had a thing for when Leo wore a suit, but of course, he wouldn’t tell him. The guy was already putting him upside-down enough.

What was taking so long? Raph had the time to visit the restroom four more times before the door opened when no one was expecting it anymore.

A middle-aged, very curvy lady appeared, smiling as she introduced herself.

“Welcome to the Grand Nexus Hotel. I'm the one in charge,” she announced, beaming. She didn’t look at all like a Boss, in Don’s opinion. She was too frail, too feminine and seemed to be nice even to dumbasses people. “They call me Big Mama.” 

What a vulgar name, Don thought as he managed to cast on her a strained smile as politeness required from him.

“You’re hired!” she exclaimed. Don gasped mentally. How unprofessional that woman was to hire anyone like that! He could have spared himself the trouble to make his brothers practice. 

“You’re the one called Donatello, right?” she said, standing in front of Don. “I studied you and your brother's resumes and I know exactly where I need each of you.”

Wait, wait, wait. This was happening too fast and if there was something Don hated it was to lose control over a situation. Mikey should be a croupier in the casino or a cook in the kitchen, Leo waiter and Raph and himself working on the casino security.

“My brothers and I...” Don started, but Big Mama cut him with a gracious smile.

“Ssssh, my handsome employee. I’m the one in charge.” Even if Don knew it was to be expected to have it spelled aloud in his face was a huge blow. 

Big Mama stopped in front of April to ask her something but Don wasn’t listening. What if that woman wasn’t doing what he had expected? So far, nothing was happening as he had planned it would. He thought they would be called for a very formal interview and prepared himself and his brother in consequence.

She led them to the casino as Don had guessed she would. It was magnificent, with palm trees in pots, stained glass and chandeliers. The place was empty for now, “for maintenance,” she said, but Don’s trained eyes noticed they were busy rigging slot-machines. He knew Leon and Mikey must have noticed as well.

“Do you know how to cheat?” she asked blunty to Mikey. From the resume your brother graciously sent us, that seems to be the case.”

Don frowned in confusion wondering what he could have written to make it look like that. He had forged his brother a fake High School degree, drivers license and wrote he was working as a cook. He had hoped he would be chosen as croupier because it was a good place to gather info, but didn’t expect it would be proposed to Michelangelo like that.

“Yeah,” Mikey admitted after a hesitation that lasted a heart beat after having glanced at Don and Leo. 

“Perfect!” Big Mama exclaimed, joining her hands. “You will be a true cutie in a croupier suit. I have someone to train you, right now!”

She snapped her fingers and a fox mutant rushed to them.

“This is Raoul. He has been working at the Grand Nexus Hotel for more than three years now. He will show you the ropes.”

She continued to walk, but neither Don or his brothers moved. To leave Mikey alone, in a foreign place was filling Don with uneasiness and he bet Raph and Leo felt the same.

“Don’t worry, your little brother will be fine,” big Mama said, looking up to make eye contact with Raph. “I have the perfect job for you.”

She left the casino room and Don resisted the need to look behind him to see if Mikey was fine. Leo wasn’t as easy, walking forward but his head turned back, keeping his eyes on Mikey the longest he could, with so much love and concern that it crawled under his skin despite the fact he knew he shouldn’t be angry for Leo’s big brother’s worries.

“He will be fine,” he muttered, his voice clipped. 

Leo shot him a furious glare and Don sighed, looking in the distance. This situation between them was getting old.

He was still lost in thought when an exclamation from April kicked him out of it.

“A day care? Really?”

At that moment, Don noticed that a toddler mutant was seizing his legs and he tried to not wince away. Children had always made him uncomfortable. Were they there for April? She hated kids much more than him. Don barely restrained a sneer. It was what April deserved to have clung to them. Leo picked up one, a baby salamander, and a smile graced his features when the baby nuzzled him. Don felt all moved inside at the sight, despite feeling like dying because he had saliva on his pants. 

“You will be in charge of watching and caring for the children of our clientele and staff. We have around thirty during each shift.” she said, but Don wasn’t understanding why she was looking at Raph. “Paula will explain it to you.”

A polar bear approached, with a gentle smile, but with an ambling step. She seemed old, Don noted. He never saw any mutant going beyond forty. 

Raph looked around, probably wondering like Don why she was addressing him, but Leo got closer, placing a comforting hand on Raph before putting the baby salamander in his arm.

“You will do an awesome job,big bro,”Leo said softly and then, he looked at Donatello. Raph will be working at the daycare! Was that woman blind or nuts, he wondered. Raph was a tank, he could easily kill one of the kids without meaning to. His place wasn’t around children!

But Raph’s face was split in a big grin and he seemed so blissful, Don swallowed back any remark. Leo left without looking behind as Big Mama dragged them elsewhere, but Don did. Was that woman for real? 

They were now only Leo and him-April didn’t count- and it seemed that Leonardo wasn’t sulking anymore, walking peacefully, admiring the stained glass. They took the elevator and went two floors up.

They arrived at what seemed to be a bar, but not a loud one. It was very classy, lighted up by candles, with Edwardian style wallpaper and pieces of furniture. In a corner, there was a piano.A few mutants were there sitting with a cute tea cup that Queen Victoria wouldn’t have disapproved of. 

“This is our VIP bar, the White Rabbit,” Big Mama announced. “During the day time, from 11: am, it’s a tea room, but after 8:00 pm, to 1:am, it's a bar with the best cocktails in the whole city. We also have a very distinguished wine choice.

“You named it that way because it’s Alice in the Wonderland themed?” Leo asked.

“It's more because our bartender is a rabbit,” Big Mama explained with a giggle. “Usagi?” she called. A tall rabbit mutant turned toward them and Don had another bad feeling as he approached them. Under the tight suit he wore, Usagi seemed to have a broad chest and how his hazelnut eyes were looking at Leonardo with curiosity was making his own eyes twitch with annoyance.

“You will work here,” she told Leo, making Don’s biggest nightmare a reality. How the rabbit was smiling at Leo and how Leo smiled back was a red flag.

“He can’t!” Don exclaimed. To the hell with the mission. They would manage it without being hired there or just ditch it, too bad for his reputation.

Big Mama looked at him with surprise.

“He worked as a waiter right? He has the experience and Usagi will train him at making cocktails. He is the best and so, your brother will have an excellent opportunity to learn and also, make big tips. The clients here pay a pretty penny to handsome employees.”

For once, money was very far from Don’s mind. He needed to give a reason for Leon to not work here.

“My brother is a lush,” he finally blurted out, not minding the daggers in Leo’s eyes. “He can’t work with alcohol. 

“Is that so?” Big Mama seemed not impressed. “I’m sure Usagi will keep him in line.”

Usagi bowed respectfully his head in agreement.

“My brother is exaggerating,”Leo said, his voice clipped and Don knew that when they were home, he would never hear the end of it.

He was about to protest further, but Big Mama gently circled his arm with her hand. 

“Sssh. Don’t make Big Mama regret hiring you. Your brothers seem eager but you, are you not a little too troublesome,”she chuckled, but Don heard the warning under the pleasant tone. She could hire them, but not him and then, he would be even less in control of the situation.

So he let himself be dragged away, wondering what she could have in store for him. She finally led them into a big office and smugly she came to sit behind a massive desk. 

“So, what about me?”Don asked, trying to keep a cool facade. He looked at April. She seemed deterred, like she regretted having tagged along with every fiber of her body.

“You, you will be my handsome personal assistant,” she said with a toothy smile. “And we be in charge of your training.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the ones having no seen it here a funny animation made by HornyBastard 101  
> https://twitter.com/rottmntDonSimp/status/1349510261514895360  
> And here some funny fanart too by JaeKaeBae  
> https://twitter.com/JaeKaeBae/status/1349566501255327744
> 
> It so amazing and I was so thrilled! Enjoy!


	27. Escape (the Pina Colada Song)

Leaving Mikey at the casino with an unknown person didn’t please Leo one bit. Even if he didn’t share Donnie’s wariness about strangers, their brother had managed to poison their minds with the idea that everyone could stab them in a blink. If they were allowed to see a therapist-because even if Don said they should, Leo doubted he would allow an outsider to get close to them-he would probably prescribe anxiety pills for them. 

“Don’t worry, your little brother will be fine,” big Mama said, but that wasn’t reassuring for Leo. Anyway, she wasn’t addressing him. She looked up to make eye contact with Raph. “I have the perfect job for you.”

It was a cryptic statement that turned Leo’s radar all the way on. 

As they walked, leaving Mikey behind, Leo turned his head to study Mikey’s body language. If his brother was the slightest bit afraid, Leonardo would turn his back and drag him away, to hell with Don’s shady business.

Anyway, he was about to say to hell with Don, period.

“He will be fine,” Donnie muttered as if he could read Leo’s mind.

Leonardo glared at him with all his might. Of course, Don didn’t give a flying fuck about Mikey. They were all mere pawns to him. Would he give a fuck for Raph, Leo wondered since he had always shown more responsiveness to the oldest? Poor Raph would be probably given another goon job. At least, he knew what to do, and big as he was, no one would try to pick a fight with him if Raph was reserved enough to not show his soft side, Leo hoped.

He cast a look on the hunched form of Raph. Like Leo himself, Raphael seemed very displeased to leave Michelangelo behind, anguish pouring out of him.

Was Don aware of how distressed he made his brothers with his schemes and contracts?

Before they left the casino room, he saw Mikey waving his hand with a big toothy smile. Leo knew that face; Mikey was genuinely thrilled to be left alone and allowed to be around people he didn’t have to trick or murder. Of course, they were there to try to gather some information and so, they were still tricking people, but for now, they could just enjoy life and get comfortable in the new environment Don had thrown them in. They were like termites exposed in full light; it was scary but a delicious kind of chills. That was what Mikey’s grin was telling him.

Leo smiled back; indeed, he would be fine. Mikey has survivor skills. If it was something Don did well it was to be sure they trained intensely, to sharpen their skills. Leonardo has faith in Mikey's abilities. The assault was years ago when Mikey was still a child. Since then, he has matured. Leonardo only hoped that no one there would make Mikey break his promise to not do drugs. A casino wasn’t exactly a mentally balanced people place. 

Speaking of weirdo’s, walking next to him, April brushed him on purpose. It took all of Leon’s self-restraint to not slice open her throat. What she was doing there, anyway? Why did Don take her call right after having kissed him? Well, the call had nothing to do with her presence, she was there before that, but how Don had dared to take a call-again-when they were in the heat of a discussion was crawling under his skin. 

Why was he still upset about this? He should know better.

Leonardo was done hoping Donnie would change and he called himself stupid for his racing heart after the kiss and to have responded to it earlier. Figures the jerk only wanted him to swallow his pills. Leo wasn’t that surprised, but still, there was a reason he was so weak to Donatello, despite him being an epic prick. 

Even if it was only to get his point across, no one ever kissed him the way Don does. Donnie’s kisses, for the very few they shared, had left in him an undying memory and a deep longing to kiss him again. 

Leonardo had his share of kisses in his life, with girls at his middle school, with Mikey, with preys, and then, a few anonymous, easy to forget, “one-time-deal” people. After the Champagne night, Leonardo had chased that feeling, that turned him all hot and fuzzy inside. But not a single time, had he felt it again. Except with Donatello, again, the Monday morning before Mikey’s overdose and it had been so quick…

Leonardo licked his lips, the flavor was still there. 

For an unknown reason-Leo was sure it was a stupid one, Don refused to commit to kissing him. It was nonsense because Leo could tell Donnie enjoyed their kisses a lot. It was only him acting self-righteous. Leonardo could smell the arousal pouring from Donatello in the bathroom. He had felt the bulge of Don’s cock against his lower shell. Why was he holding back when it was obvious Leo wouldn’t deny him anything? But more importantly, why did Leo allow Don to drive him crazy with his change of mood? And then, dare to say Leo had PMS like a girl? 

“A daycare? Really?” April exclaimed and Leo got kicked out of his thoughts. He looked around and feeling a tug, he glanced down. At his feet was an adorable salamander baby, in a cute lilac onesie pajama. Leo picked the baby up, smiling fondly, putting his gloomy thoughts on the back burner. The baby reminded him of Mikey, except Mikey had been so, so much tinier and fragile. This is why Leo always had Mikey strapped to him at the orphanage. He could have died and no one would have cared that much. Mikey was too young to play the charming turtle or peel potatoes. Leonardo got the chance to be sent to the orphanage much older when his mom died. How she had survived more than a year after Leo’s birth and not died in labor had been surprising. 

Leonardo never told Donnie, like he was ashamed of it and feared Don’s reaction, but the fact was that his mother was human. He still vividly remembered her eyes and voice. He never saw any man and had no idea who was supposed to be his genitor. He always instinctively knew it would have been an upsetting question for his mom. 

The baby nuzzled him and Leo felt like melting. Would he be the one in charge of the daycare? He wouldn’t mind. He was done being upset about being called a girl because he loved to take care of Mikey and cuddles. Anyway, he had no friends to tease him about that anymore. If anything, the innocence and small talk of the toddlers would put his mind at ease. 

“You will be in charge of watching and caring for the children of our clientele and staff. We have around thirty during each shift,” she said, but she was looking at Raph. Leo’s smile grew; Raph wasn’t a bad pick at all. If anything, he was a better pick than Leonardo. “Paula will explain it to you.”

A polar bear approached, with a gentle smile. Leonardo felt no threatening vibe at all from her. He studied Raph, wondering what his reaction would be. Since Mikey, Raph never got close to any baby, and even so, Raph was himself so young at the time and so choked by the fear of fucking it up, Leo had been the one to care for both of them. Raph could be the big brother, he had always been the one that needed to be taught, explained a fourth time, or helped. But Raph was also very caring; it showed in how he cared for fragile things like the exotic fruits they grew at their house or his kitten. In the daycare, Raph would be the second in charge and the toddlers will rely on him, even taking him as a role-model maybe. No one would expect anything more from him than a hug and some basic care. He wouldn’t have to nod to Donatello explaining about their business restructuring and even more important, Raph wouldn’t have to hurt anybody. Because it was evident as fuck for anyone with eyes; Raph was sick of the violence, something Don refused to acknowledge.

Another reason Leo was so pissed at Don. He only pretended to care, seeing his brothers as he saw himself, thirsty for money and power, and ready to do anything to obtain it. 

At the unexpected offer, Raph seemed anxious but willing. Leo got closer, placing a comforting hand on Raph before putting the baby salamander in his arms.

“You will do an awesome job, big bro,” Leo said softly, and then, he looked at Donatello. Would that jerk dare to rain on their parade? 

But Donnie seemed too confused to even say something, his eyes wide and his arms slack, the mouth slightly open. Raph grinned, beaming, nuzzling the baby, taking Don's silence for consent. 

Raph would be definitively fine.

It was with a light heart that Leo followed big Mama. Maybe the mission would not be that bad. Leonardo felt no anxiety at all for what she had in store for him. He was a very skilled fighter, with a blade or even no arms. He was a fine sharpshooter and a fast runner too if it was needed. He can speak Spanish. He had learned it in school and had listened to too many Latino soap operas with Splinter. He even had some basic Japanese language knowledge. Sometimes, when Splinter felt nostalgic or was drunk, or both, he loved to immerse himself in his culture and needed someone to share it. It would have been too much to ask from Raph, Mikey could barely stay still for his own homework and Don was absent. So Leonardo was always the one Splinter chose, to cry on his shoulder and tell the same old drunken tales.

Mikey always said that it was Leo’s biggest flaw; Leo was too nice, too eager to please any random person and even an unworthy bastard like Donnie. Leo’s big heart was his kryptonite. This is how Donatello had controlled him for years, Mikey would say. Was it that wrong to want to be loved, Leo would countering. This was how he had made friends at school, by being nice. But the ease with which Leo approached others was maybe the only time Mikey and Don had agreed on something. Donnie wasn’t aware of everything, being at another school, but listening to him, everyone who dared to get close to Leo must be pepper-sprayed. Mikey wasn’t that bad and drastic and he could call Donnie a possessive jerk, sometimes, but Mikey wasn’t better. How he always wondered anxiously if X friend was Leo’s girlfriend or boyfriend sounded as if he dreaded the day it would happen and he would have to share Leo with someone else. 

Maybe it was because his mother was a human and he had been breastfed and held tight, but Leo always longed for warmth and love. He knew Mikey craved it too and this was why Leonardo indulged both of them with displays of affection and closeness. 

But it seemed he hadn’t been enough neither for Mikey nor for him. What they had between them was strong, but still a pale copy of what they truly missed. Leo wasn’t sure what Mikey really wanted, but for himself, he knew. 

By being nice to everyone, Leo was in fact looking for someone that would cherish and spoil him. Someone that he could share his moments of exhaustion, self-doubt, and weakness with. He had to be strong for Mikey, for Raph. He had to hide everything behind a kind smile, even when he wasn’t feeling like playing nice and only wanted to curse and kick. Don wasn’t there. He was at his school and he could care, but it wasn’t tangible enough to fuel Leo. He needed more and that more, no one seemed able to give him at his house. 

Leo wasn’t sure he remembered exactly when it happened, but for about a year, he had what he thought was a best friend. They had many classes together and were both on the basketball team. He had been the only one interested in getting close enough to him to ask if he could come over to Leo’s place after school and invite him many times.

If April, Don’s friend, could come over, he could have a friend too, right? 

What was his name, again? Sean? he wondered as he stepped into an elevator. The memory of his face was blurry. He tried to focus to remember.

The first time he had brought him home was a few days after April had slept at their home. Just thinking back of it, Leo was still incensed. How she had dared to invade them, looking at Don like he was hers, had rubbed him the wrong way. After that, Don dared to reproach him about being too easy-going with people when April could play Donnie like he was a fucking violin. 

Since then, nothing has changed that much.

Today again, she had pushed the boundaries. He could feel her gaze on him at that exact damn moment. Leo knew he should know better than to let April get at him. It was obvious Don never asked for her presence and that he had been very annoyed to see her there, but still, Donnie had let April win and tag along. It was maddening thinking of how he wasn’t able to refuse her anything but had told Mikey no so many times. 

Leonardo decided to not let April win by dismissing her completely and to focus on the bright side as they stepped off the elevator. 

They arrived at what seemed to be a very classy, but still cozy bar and Leo knew it was for him. That woman seemed to have a kind of insight, and so there was no way she thought of Don or April to do a job that required them to please customers. Donatello would rather kill himself than serve someone and April has the charisma of a mailbox. 

“This is our VIP bar, the White Rabbit,” Big Mama announced. “During the day time, from 11: am, it’s a tea room, but after 8:00 pm, to 1:am, it's a bar with the best cocktails in the whole city. We also have a very distinguished wine choice.”

Leo scanned his surroundings with genuine interest but also because his assassin training was kicking in, making sure the place was safe.

“You named it that way because it’s Alice in the Wonderland themed?” Leo asked to fill the silence, while continuing his silent inspection. It wasn’t exactly themed, but it seemed old-fashioned like some speakeasies were. 

“It's more because our bartender is a rabbit,” Big Mama explained with a giggle. “Usagi?” she called.

The bartender that Leo hadn’t noticed yet came into view. He was a tall rabbit mutant, tall as Don, he noted quickly. His fur was impeccably white under his tight bartender suit and seemed very soft. Leo had the irrelevant thought that he’d never slept with animal mammal mutants and that it must feel nice, warm and soft, then pushed the weird idea aside. Donatello could be a jerk, but Leo was feeling too raw right now to fuck with someone else. Anyway, he was tired of the one-night stands. He only fooled around to try and reach a pleasure as great as the Champagne night or to make Don jealous. But now, he felt how silly he had been. Even if he was kind of sure Don had been jealous, it was useless; Don could want him, want him exclusively, Leo’s sarcastic mind added, but Don was totally unable to love him.

A lost cause. Or what therapists and TV shows called a toxic, abusive relationship. 

“You will work here,” Big Mama said. Usagi was smiling kindly to him and Leo’s heart bloomed with hope. He knew he was there mostly for a mission, but to get to meet someone new, and maybe make a friend made his blood run faster in anticipation. It was stronger than him, he needed to give love and be loved. Mikey or Don would call it naivete, but it was his nature, he couldn’t help it. That was why he had given that big jerk Donnie one too many chances already.

“He can’t!” Don exclaimed and Leo snapped his head around in surprise at the exclamation.  
  
“He worked as a waiter right?”Big Mama asked. “He has the experience.” It was true, and if anything, it was probably the most evident choice she made so far and probably the most suited job for Leo in the whole place. “Usagi will train him at making cocktails. He is the best and so, your brother will have an excellent opportunity to learn and also, make big tips.”After a glance that lasted the time of a heartbeat to the rabbit, Leo studied Don. Big Mama had spoken about money, the only language Donatello got. So whatever the reason Don thought he couldn’t, he would drop it. “The clients here pay a pretty penny to the handsome employees.”

“My brother is a lush,” Don finally blurted out and Leo couldn’t help but gasp at the insult. Okay, he could appreciate a drink or two, but he knew how to hold his liquor. “He can’t work with alcohol.” Around them, the very few customers glanced up from their tea cups, curious about the ruckus.

“Is that so?” Big Mama didn’t seem impressed. “I’m sure Usagi will keep him in line.”

Leo had no idea of what opinion Usagi was because he was too ashamed and blinded by anger to look at him.

“My brother is exaggerating,” he intervened, trying to remain calm and using a low voice. It was true he loved to have a drink or two, when he had nothing else to do, but he wouldn't drink at work, on a mission that required him to stay sober. How Donnie could think so little of him?

It was a blow one gave when desperate, Leo decided.

He still couldn't believe Don could go that far to keep his grip on him. Of course, Don wouldn’t be in the same room as him, breathing on his neck and it was freaking him out. But Leo felt there was another reason under it. To have dared to bad-mouth him in public, something that had never happened even in their most heated arguments, he guessed something must have triggered Donnie very badly in that place, but Leo wasn’t naive enough to think alcohol was the reason. He felt Usagi’s gaze on him and he cast a second look at the bartender and it struck him as he realized he was attractive. Don’s fit was about leaving Leo, his property, his doll, alone with a beautiful stranger. The alcohol was a matchstick in that fire. Maybe Donnie feared that if Leo had a drink, he would get more affectionate with Usagi or some customers. 

Big Mama circled Don’s arm with her hand and Leo got a weird feeling that he drowned away. If there was someone he wasn't worried about it was Donatello. Don was probably the smartest mutant in the whole building and he was so prideful, there was no way he would accept to do a job too low for him. Also, despite his softshell, Leo knew Don was giving off vibes that pushed people away. Their own father had spent his life grateful for Don, but also afraid of him.

Splinter hugged them, well, he did when they were young. To be more accurate, he still hugged Mikey and Raph before dying, but he stopped cuddling with Leo on the couch when he was around thirteen years old. Leo hadn’t minded because indeed, he was a teen and snuggling with his father would be uncool. Raph could be older, he was still a child in his mind. Besides, Donnie got no hugs either. He even got less than that. In his whole life, not a single time had Splinter touched Donatello, like he was afraid to get bit. 

No one ever questioned it or was surprised by it. It was just how things were, how Don was. It wasn’t only Splinter that was edgy around Don.

At the orphanage, at his school, everywhere, from what Leo knew, no one ever messed with Donnie as if death threats were pouring from him in icy waves. Only April didn’t get the memo to not get close, probably because she was too dumb. Don had never scared Leo, either. Well, that was true until the taser bracelet. Since then, there was like a ball of anxiety in the pit of his stomach.  
  
“Sssh. Don’t make Big Mama regret hiring you,” she told Donnie with a kissy face. Leo turned away, deciding it wasn’t his business what happened with his brother. He already cared too much for Donnie for his lifetime. “Your brothers seem eager but you, are you not a little too troublesome,” she chuckled.

To call Donnie troublesome was an understatement. Curious to see his brother's reaction, Leo cast a side glance at him. Don had turned pale and Leo could imagine easily what was happening in Donatello’s mind right now. Don dreaded to be sent home, while his brothers would work at the Hotel. It would not only be humiliating, but he would also lose too much control over them for him to be comfortable with. In fact, for Donatello it would be a total nightmare.

She dragged Don and April away and Leo refused to feel even the slightest concern. Determined, he turned to Usagi. He guessed he just gave a terrible impression.

“Let me introduce myself properly,” Leo said, stretching his hand. “I’m Leonardo.”

“I’m Usagi, but you can call me Usa,” the rabbit said with a smile, shaking his hand with energy. 

“Oh well, I guess I’m Leo for you, then.” He was glad that Usagi was still friendly with him despite how awful Donnie had been. He cast on him his more engaging smile. “I hope we get along.” If they were already on nickname basis, it was starting well.

A bell tinkered and Usagi excused himself.

“I have customers to serve. Sit there,” he proposed, pointing to a chair. “I will come back.”

Leo did as he had been told. On every table, there was a small bell that the clients could shake when they wanted something. He watched as Usagi poured tea in a cup, his position more flawless than a professional butler. He came back to Leo and gently handed him a menu. 

“We have a great choice of teas. It will be good if you become familiar with them. Sometimes, customers need advice.”

Without asking, Usagi brought a cup and poured some tea in it. 

“This is Gyokuro, also known as "Precious Dew". It has a particularly fine taste and a characteristic sweetness. It is said that it has the taste of umami, this fifth basic flavor.”

Leo nodded with appreciation. He wasn’t what he would call knowledgeable with teas, but Splinter had been more so. From his Japanese roots, he had developed a liking for it after turning into a mutant when he had hated it in his human form. 

Leo was the one that would prepare his tea when Splinter was too engrossed in the television to move. Splinter always praised him for his care doing it, putting the right amount and removing the teapot before the water reached the boiling point, so the flavor of the green tea did not “burn”. It had pissed off Don to no end obviously because one day he had badly snapped. It was around the same time he brought April home for the first time. Leon wasn't Splinter’s slave, Don had protested in that cold voice of his. Since Splinter was “useless but not disabled,” he could make his own tea. Leo had been the one pissed after. Donatello didn’t mind him working as a waiter and bringing food to strangers but blew a fuse if Leo served their father a single cup of tea? It didn’t make any sense.

It was about that time Leo had started to see Don for what he really was; a control freak bent in the mind.

What if Leo liked to prepare teas? Did he ask his opinion? Leo loved to listen to the water heating up, and the smell of the tea infusing and the clinking sound of the spoon turning in the cup. He liked the feeling of warming up his palm on the porcelain. It wasn’t Donatello that would prevent him from making tea if he wanted to.

Since Splinter was so scared of his own adoptive son, Leo had started to prepare teas for himself, for Splinter and for Don to stop the big jerk from spoiling everyone's fun. Every Saturday and Sunday afternoon, even after Splinter’s death, it had been a tradition Leo made Donnie a cup of tea. He had learned to know his brother's taste, and at 3:pm, he would knock at Donnie’s office door to bring him his too strong, infused a little too long, Earl Grey. Don would take a sip, absentmindedly dropping a “Thank you, Leon. I needed this,” and Leo would go back to his own business, his heart fluttering. He really had been an idiot at the time. He blamed his young age and innocence.

It had been a tradition, until the Sunday three years ago, when Don didn’t open his office’s door, too self-conscious that they had sex the night before.

“Thank you, Usagi,” Leo said politely, taking the cup. He took a careful sip and hummed appreciatively as the delicate taste tingled his tongue. “Indeed, it’s sweet.”

“I’m glad you like it.”Usagi’s hazelnut eyes shone. “If you want, I will give you a tasting of our best sellers this afternoon. And this evening, will be the time for cocktails and wines,” he said with a wink.

Leonardo’s face split in a grin, before remembering he should not look too eager for alcohol after what Don said. But his enthusiasm had nothing to do with having a drink. It had nothing to do with the fact that his mission had started well. In fact, the job was serving Leonardo’s personal agenda.

Leonardo never told Mikey, but the fact was he had plans for the Ramen shop.

He always wanted to make a space at the Ramen shop for a tea room. After Splinter’s death, Leo had decided it would be his way to honor the man that took them in. He had even gone so far as to take measurements in the so-called conference room they never used. Leo had calculated that they could cut the room in half and make two very cute and authentic tea room spaces that would each fit easily twelve people that wanted to share a moment with more calm and privacy. It would make them stand out; there were many Asian restaurants around, but it takes a 50 minutes walk to get to the closest tea room. 

In his mind, Leo had rethought their opening hours. They needed to have two days off and Leo had decided it could be Monday and Tuesday. They could serve lunch from 11:00 am, stay open in the afternoon, have reservations for “a tea time” from 2:30 to 5:00 pm that would allow Mikey a kitchen break. Then, they could open again for dinner but with a nice addition to their card: trendy, homemade cocktails and when the kitchen would close, at 9:00 pm, Mikey could be a DJ until closing at midnight or they could get the old karaoke machine fixed that broke a few weeks before Splinter’s demise. 

Leonardo was sure it would be a success. They only needed to spend a little for renovation and after that, the place would be rentable. Of course, they wouldn’t be able to ride in a $200,000 car, but they would have lived a decent life.

The only person he had dared to share his dream with was Donnie. It was a little after he left school. At first, Leo had wanted to work somewhere else as a second job, but Don had refused. Then, Leo had wanted to enroll at the bartending school to be a professional mixologist. He had done the research. It was three-weeks of training to get both the Bartender/Mixology and Bar & Restaurant Wine Certifications. For Leo it was a compromise, he would feel more competent and useful, despite not having a high school degree. He only wanted to be more fit for his waiter job and bring their shop to a new level. But it wasn’t his decision to make; he had to get Don’s blessing because he needed the $1800 tuition fee and also, a fake ID to pretend to be 21 years old.

But in a few sentences, Don had shattered his simple dream.

“Look at your hands, Leon!” Donatello had grabbed Leo’s hand, squeezing it. He was suddenly almost passionate and like everytime Don seemed carried away about something, Leo was too stunned to speak. “These hands are too beautiful and skilled to serve drinks your whole life.” Leo had been dizzy from the praise. It wasn’t that unusual. Don had always had a very high opinion of his siblings, and Leo even more, but this fire was new. “We will keep the shop open for the sake of appearance, but I have more important ambitions for you.” 

Don’s expression, his voice, how tight he squeezed his hand had left him no room to refuse. Donatello had plans, had dreams of his own, and needed Leo for this. Leo wouldn’t be a selfish bastard and get his own dreams in the way. Don was smarter, after all.

And so, his fate had been decided. 

Leo balled his fist a moment at the bitter memory, before he relaxed his posture and took another sip of tea. How ironic that he was there right now, serving Don’s plans but also his own that he had never totally forgotten. With Usagi, he would learn for free and in a much more casual ambiance.

If they managed to fulfill their mission then Don had to give him his share and Leo would be able to afford those renovations at the Ramen Shop. If Leo was wrong and the Ramen Shop would turn into a money pit, at least Leo would feel he had tried to lead his own life. But Leo wasn’t an egoistic asshole like Donnie. He would share his idea with his brothers and would listen to their opinions about it. They were four, if Leo had three brothers on his side, he had decided he would go ahead. Yes, he had told Donnie he didn’t want him at home, but even if he was still extremely mad, Leo knew he was too soft-hearted to kick Don out if his brother stayed passive. Anyway, it wouldn’t have to do it. Don was too prideful to stay after Leo took from him the leadership of their family. 

The afternoon passed quietly. Usagi came two more times to make him taste other teas. Leo turned the page of the menu, reading about the tea choices, their location and the harvest method for each. He felt more at ease than he had been for a while, except when his mind stopped on his brothers. He hoped they were as fine as him. He pulled out his phone discreetly; he got no 911 text from Mikey and so Leo decided to try to trust and turn off for good what Mikey called his Mom radar. 

At some moment, his heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t noticed yet, because Leo was too polite to stare, but Usagi was bent toward a customer and his tail poked out from a hole in his pants. It wasn’t an accidental tear. The hole was there on purpose and Leonardo flushed hard. He wasn’t prudish by any stretch of the imagination, but the turtles' tail was very sensitive, as erogenous as their cock. This was so a very private part of themselves, it was always tucked in their pants in a way that was almost invisible. Don would die on the spot if his brother strolled around with his tail in the open. 

It wasn’t only that, he noted as an old mutant lady lightly stroked Usagi’s arm. Leo’s eyes were too trained and he was too experienced to not realize the lady’s purpose. She was showing a sexual interest, but Usagi seemed to turn her down politely. 

“Was that woman hitting on you?” Leo asked in a whisper when Usagi came near. 

“Yes,” Usagi agreed with a calm voice. “But I told her no.” He smiled. “I will explain it to you after we close tea times.”

It was obvious Usagi was used to these invitations by how unbothered he was. Leo told himself it wasn’t his business. It was now past four and the few customers were leaving. Usagi had explained to him that the White Rabbit closed between 4:30 and 8:00. This is how he had managed it so far to do such long shifts. The mutants had stamina, but Usagi needed to eat.

“As you see, the first shift is quiet. There are never more than about ten customers at the same time. I live at the hotel.” Usagi just slid into the seat in front of him. “The price is very cheap for employees, not only the rooms, but we have a 50% discount for every facility in the hotel as for the food. The gym membership is free, because Big Mama loves that her employees are fit." Indeed, Usagi was fit, Leo appreciated silently as he took details of his arms and shoulders. "It would cost me more to live outside and also, I win time,” Usagi explained, blowing on his tea. “My room is only three floors up. I’m here in five minutes. During my more than three hour break, I can eat and even watch a movie at the Hotel theater or...I can spend time with some of the customers in the morning and make some sideline money, if you catch my drift.” 

Usagi's gaze turned serious as Leo replayed in his mind what had happened earlier. It was blatant prostitution and he made a move to stand up, even if he had no idea where to go. It wasn’t that it was anything new. He had whored himself a lot to rile up Donnie, but that was his own choice and he had no “pimp” despite what he said to Donatello. 

“Before you leave with the wrong idea, let me tell you I don’t do that anymore, and of course, you are free to never do it.” Usagi stared at his cup a moment, before glancing up, a smile on his lips, and a quiet fire in his eyes. He has something of Don, Leo thought without nailing what exactly. “I was young and thirsty for validation and money. But now, I’m tired of fooling around.” It was something Leo could relate to and, almost unconsciously, he shook his head in acknowledgment. Usagi did the same, before continuing. “I don’t need that much money. The salary is good and the hotel provides me with everything I need at a cheap price. I’m not aiming at that anymore.”

A silence stretched but Leo didn’t find it heavy. He was only curious to know more. It had been a while since he had made any friends. He felt a little rusty and preferred to let Usagi lead the conversation. Anyway, here Usagi was his mentor. 

Usagi didn’t elaborate what he was aiming for, and returned to the job topic, but not in the dry way Don was doing it.

“Anyway, Big Maman told me you will do only the second shift with me from 8:00 pm to 1:00 am. That is when it gets busy. In the last two years, the Grand Nexus Hotel has become increasingly popular. I have actually been asking them to hire someone to help me for more than six months. Big Mama is someone peculiar as you may have noticed.”

Leo didn’t express any opinion. He wasn’t dumb enough to bad mouth his new boss with a coworker he only met a few hours ago, even if Usagi was only giving friendly vibes

_“Why do I keep thinking he looks like Donnie? They are nothing alike. He is a normal, friendly, guy”_

“She kept telling me she was waiting for a perfect teammate for me,” Usagi continued. “I’m looking forward to working with you, but first I have to show you the ropes of our job. First, you need to work in something more suitable.” He motioned toward Leo’s expensive suit. Well, Leo hadn’t seen the price tag on it, but knowing Donnie it must have been very pricey. “I feel like I’m having tea with a President.”

Usagi stood up, removed the fine tea cups and invited Leo to follow him. Leo’s eyes landed on Usagi’s tail. He couldn’t help it. It looked so...fluffy, he guessed? He felt a tingle in his palms, like he wanted to touch it. Would Usagi feel the same if he showed his tail? He hoped not, it would make things awkward between them. 

“Would I have to show off my tail too,” he wondered aloud, the worry probably perceptible in his voice. 

Usagi cast a surprised look over his shoulder.

“Would that be a problem?” His eyes ran down Leo’s body. “You don’t seem the shy type.”

Indeed, why was he so flustered about it? That wasn’t like him at all. Usagi would get a wrong opinion of him. It was only Don’s prudish nature and moralistic scolding that had left a mental scar in Leo’s mind. Usually, when Leo got over his natural quiet nature, it was because he was with Mikey. It’s been so long since he was alone with people he shouldn't seduce or kill, he wasn’t sure how to behave anymore. Showing off his body wasn’t a big deal; he was doing it for the mission after all and if Donnie was pissed off by it, well that was a bonus, he decided. 

“There’s no problem at all,” Leo said using a calm and steady voice as he followed Usagi into the back store. “I was only curious.”

“Well, I’m glad. It would have been unfortunate if it made you uncomfortable. I guarantee you no one would pull or touch it.” He looked seriously at him. “I wouldn’t allow it and, anyway, it’s forbidden.” He handed him a folded suit. “Here, try this. It’s mine, but even with your shell, we are about the same size.”

Leo undressed with slow movement but without any hesitation. He undressed in front of people so many times and he decided it wasn’t any different from when he was changing at the middle school gym. Usagi was there, but not actually staring and so he didn’t mind at all, until Usagi’s look zeroed in on his shoulder when he pulled off his shirt. Damn, the bite mark. How could he have forgotten about it?

“Oh, you do have a partner after all,” Usagi commented simply. “This is why you felt self-conscious earlier about your tail?”

What did that mean? They didn’t speak of their personal life. Well, Leo sure didn’t, but he wanted to make it clear.

“I don’t,” Leonardo protested calmly. Don wasn’t a partner. Just a pain in the ass boss and older brother. “What you see here is the result of a fight.”

Usagi didn’t seem impressed at all by Leo’s denial.

“Well, you have someone that cares deeply for you to have that jewel there.”

Leo nervously covered the bracelet with his hand.

“What do you know about that?” he asked, on the defensive. Did this thing exist elsewhere other than in Don’s crazy mind?

Usagi took a step closer, but kept a kind, open expression.

“I’m a mutant who has traveled and visited a lot of places and encountered a lot of people. Also, the Grand Hotel has a wide choice of residents. So I have seen that kind of jewel before. It’s usually clapped on the wrist of precious prey by a bounty hunter or the cherished young mistress of some old and jealous crime lords.” Usagi’s smirk grew and Leo didn’t reply, snatching the clothes and angrily getting dressed. He hated the mental image Usagi’s comment was giving him.

“I won’t ask you which one you are, don’t worry. We just met and I understand you are cautious around me.”

Leo sighed in relief mentally as he got dressed. He didn’t mean to look wary, but he realized that Don had made their lives so complicated, it was hard to explain himself to a stranger. 

“Do you want to get rid of it?” Leo stopped moving, his heart pounding and he turned slowly his eyes toward Usagi. Was he serious? “I know how to disable it, if it makes you unhappy.”

“You can do that?” Leo gazed earnestly at Usagi. Unhappy was an understatement. Everytime he looked at it, he remembered he had a brother that didn't mind hurting him to keep him at his side, without any consideration for his feelings. “I won’t...be shocked or…” Leonardo knew what it was about to say was an admission. “Would he not notice it?”

“Trust me,” Usagi said, with a cunning smile and he stretched his hand in an inviting gesture. After a hesitation that lasted the time of a heartbeat, Leo stretched out his hand too. Usagi picked up something that looked like a screwdriver to fix watches. 

“You see, there’s a battery in it.” Usagi gently picked Leo’s hand. “It’s almost invisible to the eyes, but is right there.” He showed Leo something barely bigger than a dot on the bracelet edges. In a few untwisting motions with the screwdriver, he pulled out a thin disk. “This battery works with solar energy. If your brother gets suspicious, and tries to test it out, the lack of response can be explained by the low lighting in the bar. You can put the battery back if needed. He won’t notice the deception.”

Leo nodded thoughtfully as Usagi put the battery in his palm. Suddenly realizing something, he glanced up.

“How do you know it’s my brother,” he asked, suspicious. He didn’t say a single word about Donatello. 

“By the way he was glaring at me.” Usagi winked at him before raising his hands in an appeasing gesture. “I’m not judging anything. Besides, it shows you aren’t blood-related at all.”

It was a relief that Usagi knew and wasn’t judgmental, but still, he didn’t want the one he hoped to be friends with to have the wrong idea about him. 

“We aren’t exactly what you implied we are,” Leo protested, but he realized how weak his voice sounded. “Don is...a very overprotective brother, that’s all.”

Bitterness filled his mouth as he remembered the many times he said the same bullshit to Mikey to excuse Donatello’s lunatic behavior. But well, it was true. They weren’t mates or anything. Don seemed to want them to be into a master slave relationship. He had insisted the whole morning about how Leo had agreed to this and must respect his words. Indeed, Leo had accepted, but that was because Don hadn’t been very explicit about what he truly meant. Leonardo didn’t mind kinky sex games where Don could unleash his dominant side in a more entertaining, healthy way. It fed Leo's side that was thirsty for validation. But when he had understood that they would have to play the game following only Don’s rules and filling only Don’s needs, that had been another story. The branding had taken the cake. Donatello’s craving to totally own him was scary and a total turn off. It was the confirmation he was nothing more than an object, a puppet. Donatello had always been a very territorial turtle. He would refuse to share his mug, even if it was the last one in the house, not because he was fond of the mug, but because it was his. Leonardo was the same for him. Leo couldn’t even enjoy simple things like making tea for an old man, because Don couldn’t bear it in his possessiveness. How Leo had been allowed to work and seduce people had never made any sense, but he guessed that earning money was making everything acceptable for Don, like sharing his propriety. 

A finger poking his cheek kicked him out of his gloomy thoughts. 

“Stop pouting. You are free. Your brother is probably very busy right now and you are far away from his mind. I’m glad if you say he only has a brother complex. Was he the one biting you?” Usagi studied him and realizing Leo wouldn’t answer, he sighed.

“Let’s work but have some fun at the same time. My guts told me you need it!”

Leo nodded eagerly as he finished dressing. Indeed, Don was far away and Usagi was very friendly. He was there to learn the ropes and the fun part was good to take. He just hoped Usagi wouldn’t ask anymore questions that made him feel like he was in a relationship with a violent boyfriend. Donnie wasn’t violent, just controlling?

_Stop giving him excuses!_

“We are going to order some food, to avoid wasting time and I will show you all my bartender secrets. I’m not boasting when I say I’m pretty good at it!”

Usagi did as he said. They ate pizza first as Usagi explained to Leo what would be his work schedule. The White Rabbit was open from Thursday to Sunday and Leo needed to be there only for the second shift, starting the next week. For now, he needed to be there by 4:00 pm. Leo thought it would allow them to keep the Ramen shop open if Mikey wasn’t working. It reminded him of his brothers again and it felt weird to be so long without them. Even when he was busy with prey, Leo was never three hours without being in contact with one of his brothers by text or something. But it was past 6:00 now and he hadn't seen or heard from any of them since the morning.

The time was passing so fast with Usagi and his conversation was so refreshing that he lost track of the time and even kinda forgot he had siblings. He had not been so carefree since Sean.

Again, his mind turned toward the past. Now, he could visualize his face clearly; green eyes, and curly brown hair. Leo was fourteen years old and except for his mutant form, he was a teen like the others in many aspects. Of course, Mikey was worrying him already at the time and he had a part-time job and a whole household to take care of. But he loved to think it wasn’t that bad and that after all, Don worked so much harder for them.

Mikey was 11 years old and so, not a child anymore and he was the one in charge of the dinner. Raph was autonomous, now very comfortable in his routine. During the week, Splinter was more at home. Leo could leave without being worried. They were all a little more laid-back when Donatello wasn’t home and so Leo had asked Splinter for some “alone” time. Splinter had granted his wish but had made Leo promise to not speak a word to Donnie about it.

And so, a few hours a week, during a few months, Leo had tasted freedom and close friendship. After a game of basketball, they smoked behind a 7 eleven and shared a few beer cans that Sean had bought with his fake ID. Leonardo knew that if Don could see him smoking weed and drinking beer in an alley with a guy with a piercing, he would have a heart attack. It filled him with adrenaline that he was doing something behind Don’s back, something Donnie would disapprove of. But there was also a sting of guilt; at that exact moment in his room, Don wasn’t doing drugs or drinking beers. Those two conflicting emotions were making him feel like dying and so alive all at once. It was thrilling.

Leo was careful to take a shower after heading home. Raph was innocent, Mikey too young and Splinter very understanding, but instinct made him hide evidence. 

That was about the time they discovered Mikey’s incredible talent to sneak and empty pockets.

“I’m very disappointed you hid things, bro,” Mikey had said, a hand on his chest, the rolling paper and the eye drop bottle on the bed, pulled out from his pants as he was taking a shower.

Leo had felt so bad, not finding any thrill anymore. He knew he was supposed to be a role, model, a mother figure for Mikey. He wasn’t able to explain how he needed to get free and crazy a few times a week and have fun. 

“Don’t make that face. You’re trying to get some slack on your leash and I get it,” Mikey had said. “Anyway, I know you are doing it like you do anything else. You always go with the flow and you are totally unable to say no to someone.” Mikey was exaggerating, Leo knew how to say no. Sean had wanted to hang out on the weekend and he had no choice but refuse; many times, already. “You are lucky I’m not Donnie. He would have tracked down the friend who dragged you into this, and pulled his nails one after the other with heated pliers. He wants to be the only one that influences you.”

Leo had protested Mikey was watching too many movies and as the innocent idiot he was, he had said Donatello wasn’t that bad. Mikey had tried to bargain his silence if next time he could smoke with him and it had been such a turn off that Leo had refused to hang at the seven eleven for three weeks straight. But the fear of losing his only friend that he could share confidences with, had made him go back.

Until…

“So, you are smoking.” Don was sitting on his bed, a scowl on his face. Cold anger and disapproval were pouring from him and Leo hoped he could crawl and hide under a rock. “And not even tobacco. No wonder your grades have gone bad.”

Leo hadn’t replied. He knew that when Don was launching into lecture mode and that there was nothing to do but wait for the storm to pass. It was rare that anger was directed at him and if he had to be honest, he felt Don was holding back a lot. 

“I will say nothing more than that I’m very disappointed in you. I thought you were sensible and reliable, Leonardo.” Don’s eyes were like too cold embers. “Maybe I should transfer to your school. I won’t allow my precious brother to lose himself.”

It hadn’t been bluff at all. Leo knew Don enough. His brother was seriously considering falling three school years behind his current level and leaving his posh school to keep him in line. Shame washed over him. He couldn’t allow Don to sacrifice his bright future so close to the end of his high school because Leo had been selfish. It wasn’t only that. If he was doing so, Donatello would breathe down the whole family’s neck again. 

He blurted out apologies and promised but Donnie wasn’t moved at all, staying stone-faced until Leo burst into tears, his nerves getting the best of him. He had always worked hard to please Donatello and get praised by him,to help such an incredible person like him. To be a disappointment was an icy shower, even if he had done everything to deserve what was happening. The tears had seemed to trouble Don a little and he had taken his chin in hand, gazing very solemnly at him.

“This isn’t you,” Don had hissed, not with anger, but in an urging tone. “Someone else dragged you into this, tainted you with their bad influence, taking advantage of your soft heart.” Don had wiped a tear with a soft smile, but that seemed forced. “Actually, we have this fight and you are crying because of that person. Tell me who they are and I will have a talk with them. They won’t bother you ever again, I promise you.”

Mikey’s words were too fresh in his memory. Of course, he had told Mikey he was exaggerating, but the fact was Don gave him a knife not too long ago. Since then, without being scared of Don, he was kind of wondering if he knew him that well. Donatello would never hurt his family, but what about others.

Leo hadn’t given a name, despite Don’s insistence.

“Okay, Leon, I let you be and I know you will respect your oaths to focus on your studies and family. But…”Don was halfway to the door, like he couldn’t resolve himself to leave, without getting something out of his chest. “You are...I suppose...what they call...sexy.” It was a rare sight to see Don that embarrassed. Leo was stunned, listening and probably gaping like an idiot. Was he sexy? No one had ever told him that. That Don of all people was the one making that statement made him reach a high level that was unexpected. “Humans can’t be trusted. They will be curious about your body because you are alluring. Don’t let them touch you. Don’t hesitate to slash, slice, stab them if they try to slide their hand into your pants,” Don enumerated in a flat, emotionless voice. “Understood?”

Leo could only nod, astonished by the suggestion of violence.

Again, he avoided Sean for a few weeks, but oddly, Don seemed to start avoiding him. Donatello had never been the affectionate type, that was true, but now, he was turning away every time Leo was in the same room. Because he made one single mistake, he was disgusting to Don? Or was it because of his grades?

It was so oppressive at home, that he started to hang out with Sean again, but Leo refused to smoke, so convinced he was that his brother was mad for the weed more than the friend. Don didn’t say anything about beer and so, Leo continued to drink it, but never more than a can. 

“You always say no. You’re so uncool, Leo.”

Teenager life was filled with so many damn Friday night parties and after so many refusals, Leo felt people were starting to avoid him. He knew what they were thinking. They were already kind enough to try to befriend a mutant. Why was he playing hard to get? 

“You never want to hang out because you’re busy playing the mom and the housewife. I’m tired of that shit, dude.”

It was the same Friday Sean told him that Don came home with April and Leo was filled with rage. Don could look like wasn’t interested in April, Leo thought that Don wasn’t the kind of guy one could force and was a master at hiding what he really felt. 

Why was he obeying Don? He wasn’t his master! Don was two weeks older than him and two inches taller and that’s all. He could have a brain, it didn’t mean he could boss Leo around. 

The next months April went at home, Leo decided enough was enough. He even jumped a few times out of his window on the weekend and at Summer, when Don had to stay a few more weeks at school, Leo decided he could introduce Sean to his family. Mikey had been very impressed, making up a scenario about how Sean had the hots for Leo and that if Don knew he would slice the guy’s junk. Mikey was already horny all the time, jerking off to gay mangas and Leo told himself that it was only a phase Mikey was going through to only have sex on his mind. 

But then, Sean had proposed to celebrate Leo’s 15 birthday at the Ramen shop on a Saturday and to stay over for the night and Leo had no idea what to do. Of course, it would have been fun, but it wouldn’t be something he could hide from Donatello, if fifteen people came to eat at their restaurant and play karaoke. He had explained the situation to Sean. His friend was aware of Donatello and his demands and expectations, despite him being the brother Leo kept the most mysterious. So, he had explained very honestly to Sean the whole situation, and promised to have a sincere talk with Don to get him to accept, but in his stupor, his friend had reacted badly.

“You keep acting like your bro’s wife, always doing the cleaning and shit he asks you and obeying everything he says like a sub bitch! It’s gross, man!”

It had hurt very much, but in a way, he understood Sean, despite his so-called friend overreacting by calling him Don’s bitch. He wasn’t. He only helped around the house with the things Don couldn’t do. 

He never saw Sean again and he never got his 15 years old party, singing karaoke. Leo had chosen to spare Don and so, lost his chance at having a normal youth. Since then, he got mad and upset every time he got called a girl, even more than before. And still, Don as a moron just did it, when he boasted about knowing them so well. Because of course, Donatello was of the same opinion as Sean: Leo was Don’s submissive bitch. 

But Leo wasn’t. As he liked to make tea, take care of kids and some quiet hobbies, he could fight and kill. He could love to bottom, but he could still top and if he loved orders in the bedroom, he hated them out of it. Leo could be the head of their family and business just like Don. It would work differently, but would still move forward.   
  
Was it too late to get some normalcy again, he wondered, staring at Usagi. 

“You seem sad, kame,” Usagi put down a drink in front of him. “And distracted. Here. My take on the Pina Colada. I added a syrup of spiced mango. One sip brings you straight to Paradise, far far away from your concerns.”

Leo thanked him and took a drag on the straw. The drink was sweet, and fluffy, with a hint of an unknown spice like Usagi himself. Leo decided it had the taste of freedom. 

“Talk to me about you,” Leo asked, even if he knew it wasn’t the time. 

Usagi told him he was born in Japan from a human father and mutant mother. He went to New York when he was sixteen, despite his father’s disapproval, because mutants were a rarity in Japan and so he had hoped for a better future for himself. He had started as a taxi driver, discovered a speakeasy he got invited to by a cute client and so decided to go to the bartender school Leo had wanted to go to.

It was the opening hour when Usagi stopped talking and Leo regretted it. Usagi’s tales made him daydream.

“You are used to doing service, right? For tonight, focus on that.”

Clients were kind, despite the way they looked at his tail and Leo could feel his cheeks burning. He could play provocative, with Mikey’s support, today he felt differently. But they weren’t touching. Usagi explained to him that indeed, some clients hoped to get a partner for the night during that shift too. Usagi had been a little loose his first years there and so, people were kind of hoping it was still a thing that could happen. 

It was past midnight and Leo couldn’t believe it was that late already and that his brothers had weighed so little on his mind. There were no clients anymore, probably understanding they wouldn’t score tonight and Leo was sitting at the counter as Usagi poured them a Cosmo. He felt now totally relaxed around him, so close to being actually happy, he could smell it. This could be his life, this could have been his life for a while. 

He was telling something witty about a customer that had seemed desperate to have a taste of Usagi, when the door opened. 

Donatello was standing in front of him, looking drained but also livid. His tie was loose and he let himself drop on a chair. Leonardo got overwhelmed by mixed emotions again, longing for that man, but also, contempt. Even so, Leo knew that this contempt was only the result of heartbreak. 

“A gin tonic,” Donatello spat, as arrogantly as if he was Louis XIV. “Now.”

Leo shared a look with Usagi, as if silently asking what he was supposed to do with his own brother. The bar was still open hours and so Leo had to serve Don as if he was any other customer, Usagi’s eyes replied to him. 

“Coming,” Leo replied, turning away from Don, trying to hold back the emotions washing over him.

Usagi grabbed a gin bottle but Don’s clipped voice stopped in.

“I will only drink something Leon made. Not you.”

Leo flushed with anger. Again, Don would ruin for him every chance he had to have a friend. Why was he so rude? He looked at Usagi again and the bartender only shrugged as if it wasn’t an inconsiderate demand. 

Blinded by shame and rage, he took the bottle of blue gin. Usagi showed him earlier. The butterfly pea it was made of gave it a royal blue color like Leo bandana. The magic was that if they poured a tonic, or something with acid like citrus, the drink would turn purple. Leo had found some very poetic meaning in that blue turning purple, but now, it wasn’t as cute as he added the lavender, cucumber and strawberries mixed syrup. He added ice cubes, shook until the glass was icy, added some dried raspberries, a tea leaf and a slice of lemon. He wondered for a moment if he should spit in it and decided against it only because he feared making a bad impression on Usagi. 

“Here,” he said, putting down a little harsher than necessary the drink in front of Don. “Bitter and cold like you.”

Donatello thanked him as if he hadn’t just been insulted, but when Leo returned to the bar and turned toward Don to glare at him with all his might he saw his brother pale like he was about to get sick, his eyes staring at the void. Leo guessed Don saw his tail and was probably very close to get a stroke.

Don ordered a second one after having finished the first in one large gulp like he was a dying man in the desert. Yes, he saw the tail and provocative, Leo flickered it, as to show he was wiping his ass with Don's indignation.

When he was done with his second glass, Don glanced at his watch. 

“It’s 1:00 am, Leon. Let’s head home.” He pulled out his wallet, slamming a $100 bill on the table and Leo felt like facepalming. In his haste to show off in front of Usagi, Donnie was blowing their cover.

“You can go, I will do the closing alone,” Usagi told Leo and Leonardo could see how nervously Don grabbed the napkin, in his indignation that someone other than him granted Leo permission.

Dismissed, Leonardo had no choice but to follow Don and on his way to the car and all the ride, Leo expected Don to blow a fuse about the tail, or Leo sitting on the counter or having a drink. But he didn’t and the ride home was eerily silent.

“What about Mikey and Raph,” Leo finally asked, breaking the heavy silence.

“They are fine,” Don replied, his tone soft but strained. “Raph got puke on his clothes. Oddly, he wasn’t grossed out. Mikey told me the stink was so awful, no cab wanted to take them. They took the subway.”

“Mikey didn’t text me,” Leo said, frowning. Since when was Mikey texting or calling Don and not him?

“I called him,” Don explained as if he had read his thoughts. “Between playing accountant and turning down sexual harassment.”

Sexual harassment? Was Don trying to make him jealous? Leo would show him he wasn’t. And where was that bitch April? He wouldn’t even ask. Don could do everything he wanted, if that meant he left Leo alone. 

They were now home. All the lights were off. Leo was pulling on the car handle, still worried and wanted to be sure Mikey was in bed when Don jerked him around and kissed him in that forceful way of his, shoving his tongue down Leo’s throat with no restraint all, all barriers down.

Like every time Don laid a hand on him, Leo turned hot and needy in two seconds flat. But then, Leo remembered he was angry and he pushed Don away as his brother was now trying to get on top of Leo in the damn car. Pheromones filled the narrow space of the car and Leo felt already punch drunk by it. But from now, he was done being weak, Don’s lap dog. The sweetness of all the cocktails he drank was still on his tongue, reminding of Usagi and leading an independent life. 

“Don’t touch me!” Leo shouted and, using the momentum Don was taken aback by how aggressive Leo’s refusal was, he got out of the car, walking with great stride to their home.

“Leon!” Don ran and slammed Leo’s shell on the wall at the moment he stepped into the Ramen shop. “We need to talk!”

“No! I’m done.” Don was trying to hold him in place, but Leo was determined to not let himself be pinned, sexed-up and wrapped around Donnie’s finger again. “I told you I don’t want to be your sex doll. Do as you usually do, rent a whore and leave me alone!” 

“Why? For you to be free to sleep with that bunny?” he snarled in Leo’s face. The jealousy was so obvious in Donatello’s face right now, he could have been the picture model in a Wikipedia article. 

“Maybe!” Leo retorted and again using the momentum as Donnie was gaping, he slid away, climbing without a care in the world.

“You can’t! You’re mine!” Don roared and Leo couldn’t help it. He turned his head to see Donnie’s face. His brother was so handsome when he was truly angry. Leo got hard every fucking times he saw that face. 

“Show me the invoice you got, to have bought me and we can talk about how you can get a refund,” Leo mocked. 

“Leon!” Don urged, rushing over him, grabbing him and Leonardo decided to let himself be caught to see what Don would do. He was so tired of this game, maybe he should play it differently. It was either that or stab the bastard. “Leon!”

“Stop using my name so much, you will have to buy me another.”

“Come with me...I mean...In my bedroom. Not the bath, the bed,” Don explained, so out of his cold usual self, he tripped on his words.

His bedroom? That was interesting, but Leo knew better than to have faith, anymore. 

“For what?” he asked flatly.

“I want…” Don probably decided he looked like a dumbass and squared his shoulders. “I want to have full sexual intercourse with you,” he announced solemnly. 

It was so unexpected and such a pitiful way to tell Leo he was horny that Leo uttered a disbelieving chuckle. He never heard something so unromantic; a huge turn-off.

“So?”Don was burning hole in him, probably sure Leo would melt in a puddle of hormones at that mere suggestion they could have sex in Don’s precious bed. Maybe it could have been true a few days ago, but not now. Leo was done opening his heart to get slapped in the face right after with one of Don’s crazy demands of him having a change of heart. It would just end with more disappointment and heartache. Today hanging with a normal guy like Usagi and reflecting on the past reminded Don how he was toxic for him and how he had been a hindrance for Leo’s dreams. And now, thanks to Usagi, he had no more bracelets to fear. He never tried to disobey so blatantly, just in Don’s face. Why not? It never brought him anything good...how did Sean say it again? His submissive bitch.

“No.” Leo’s answer was firm and icy and he got a twisted feeling of bliss seeing Don’s hurt expression. He wouldn’t have pity for that jerk, after having wasted his youth for him. Don was like a necrosed limb he had to cut off, if he didn’t want to end up as crazy as Donnie was. He had been so close to turning out like him.

Leo turned his back and went straight to his bedroom. He drowned the guilt in him when he heard Don's bedroom door slam. 


	28. Interlude: The White Rabbit art by Boxfish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter had been posted last night. Make sure to have read the chapter Escape to better appreciate the art. I love giving space to the art, for people to enjoy the many details B0xfish put in!
> 
> Move the bar for a full view


	29. Everybody hurts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art to come  
> Beta by Sundayeyes!  
> I wanted to add April's pov, but the chapter was getting heavy!

Don always thought that his biggest strength was his patience. But he had barely been in that office room for thirty minutes and his patience was already running thin.

He and April were sitting on a chair across the huge desk. After having thrown him the Hotel accounts books, now open on the desk in front of Donatello, Big Maman kept avoiding his questions, with chit-chat about her hotel and herself. 

How people could be that ignorant to not tell apart art nouveau and Art Deco, she asked. Oh, and she needed to comfort Don right away; her fur trim wasn’t genuinely fur since she was a Peta member. How could she use fur from a skinned animal when she has furry mammals in her staff and clients? It would have been incredibly rude, didn’t Donnie think so? Actually purple was her favorite color; it was such an underrated one. She always liked purple, lilac hue to be more accurate and it wasn’t because she has gay employees. What does Donnie think of purple? Was it because he was gay? She pouted like it would be a very highly disappointing prospect.

“Purple has long been associated with royalty, originally because Phoenician purple dye was extremely expensive during Antiquity,” Don replied, his voice clipped. He didn’t need a reminder about furry employees or gay ones. It reminded him of who he left Leo with. “Purple was the color worn by Roman magistrates; it became the imperial color worn by the rulers of the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire, and later by Roman Catholic bishops,” he enumerated flatly with an inexpressive face. “Similarly in Japan, purple was traditionally associated with the emperor and aristocracy. I’m alas not wearing purple because I’m blue-blooded. If I was, of course, I wouldn’t require a job interview from you.”

Because it was with that goal he had woken up this morning! Get a job! But everything had happened so quickly and didn’t seem legit enough for Don’s liking. How could he focus on the damn accounts, to begin with, if she kept flapping her lips? Anyway, his mind was on his brothers. He rubbed his forehead in frustration, trying to tame the expanding anxiety in his chest. 

“I’m actually wearing a purple bandana because my brothers and I have quite long names and it’s easier for my brother Raphael.” He didn’t elaborate. “And for your information, purple is associated with bisexual people and not gay people” he concluded dryly. “Anyway, asking me questions about my sexual orientation in a job interview could be seen as a means of discrimination and I could sue you for this.” Donatello, took the accounts books in hand, purposefully to show he was done, with small talk and he studied them silently for a moment. It was a way to keep his mind busy and also show enough goodwill for her to actually listen. 

“As you see, the Grand Nexus hotel is not a filthy seedy hotel,” she declared, her chin high, after a moment.

Don held back a roll of the eyes and he rubbed his forehead in annoyance instead. Hold it, Donnie, and breathe, he told himself. How that woman’s business was working was beyond him. He never saw account books so messy. Anyway, who was still using these books and a pen to make accounts? Thrift stores? Flea Market? Anyone selling corn on a stand near the highway? Even very small retail businesses used accounting software. Just to retype all the files into that software would take days!

Anyway, he couldn’t focus on the Hotel budget without getting his point across. She had slammed in front of him files, books, and papers, asking him to “check it,” without being more precise in her demand. One look at the expense book and Don could tell there was no way the place was still running without some shady sideline business. Anyway, he knew that. His informer told him about the secret arena with illegal fights, and the lab, and the ooze, all that they were looking to discover. Don was well aware of the mission, but he refused to even think about it before he was reassured about the extent of his brother’s work conditions. Was that so hard and extravagant?

“I can perfectly help you with all….that, ''he began, motioning to the open book. Don didn’t even know how to qualify that number pit hell. “As I told you many times, I regret not being able to get any work done before we signed a contract. I’m my brothers’ spokesperson,” Don declared. “I need to know what exactly you are expecting of them-and me, for that matter, to be sure to be able to provide you with what you are looking for,” he said in his more engaging, but serious businessman’s voice. “We haven’t spoken of any schedule, or health insurance, work conditions, breaks, and salary,” he enumerated sternly. 

He glanced at April, wondering how it could be such an unsensible matter, for Big Mama to brush it away and dodge it for the last twenty minutes.

“And what is a personal assistant for you, if I may ask? You mean accountant?” he said, motioning to the open books in front of him. If anything, he didn’t mind that job. Numbers had always been comforting to him. They were real, there was no way to mistake them and make them something they didn’t intend. He still remembered how shocked he had been to see Splinter wasn’t even keeping track of his expenses and earnings. How can one move forward without a very clear starting point and a goal? How can one be kept in the good lane, without numerated tracks? 

This woman seemed like a kind of Splinter, without the messy room and the doubtful hygiene. Well, that wasn’t a bad thing. Don was used to dealing with those air-heads. And Big Maman could seem stubborn, after April, nothing could surprise him.

But Big Mama mistook his look.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, hiding her awe face behind his tiny gloved hands. “Are you both...lovers?” she inquired with a little, nervous giggle. 

“No!”Don was sharp to answer.

“Yes!” April lied eagerly and shamelessly.

“Ugh!”Don ran a hand down his face. “Please, don’t believe her. She is a mythomaniac and a creep knowing no boundaries,” he stated. “She has been my stalker for ages and is only here because she forced herself on me again. Feel free to kick her out!” 

Actually, Don was offering April a kind of favor. He knew her enough to tell she regretted, for once, having tagged along. He was giving her an exit, the lucky girl.

“Oh, that’s interesting.” Big Mama leaned on her desk, her black eyes shining with mischief and Don thought of Leo, when he was about to pull a dirty trick on him. “Are you saying you are single?”

How that woman drew that conclusion and was looking like she was about to propose herself, instead of kicking April out was beyond him, but Don had no intention of sharing his intimacy, or of leading that woman on. She had “black widow” written all over her. 

“No, I’m afraid I’m not,” Don dropped icily. Could he smoke? The conversation was getting on his nerves.“I’m actually in a relationship.” 

He could feel April’s gaze on him and refused to meet her eyes to see the gleam of victory in it. He wouldn’t admit anything more, or utter a name. He crossed his legs, tapping his fingers impatiently on his arm, his eyes locked on those of Big Mama. Now, it was clear and she wouldn’t try to grope him or whatever she had in mind. Leo could deny if he wanted, the fact was they were in a relationship. Don has given his word to be exclusive and he will keep it. Anyway, it didn’t even ask for more effort from him. Besides Leonardo, he never fancied anyone else. 

_Don’t think of it, stay grounded, focus!_ his mind warned, but pictures of Leo bent over a bar counter, stroked all over by white paws flashed in his mind. Leo wouldn’t dare, right? He agreed to be exclusive when Don had asked him. He only denied it afterward because he was furious about the branding suggestion and this morning, he has a fever that made him irrational. Speaking of which, was Leo better? Don slid his hand in his pants pocket, touching the Tylenol container he brought with him, in case his brother needed it. He squeezed his hand around it a moment, to draw force and focus from it. 

“Oh, that’s disappointing,” she said. She was smiling, looking absolutely not bothered despite what she said. “A lot of our clientele come here hoping to find love and playing matchmaker is a hobby of mine. I’m very skilled at finding soulmates. A real Cupid,” she declared with a wink. 

“Well, I appreciate the thought,” Don said, with a crisp smile. Despite himself, his whole body hurt from the strain of holding back and not flipping the table, taking the elevator, and dragging his brothers out of there. “But keep your matchmaker’s skills far from me and my brothers.”

She didn’t comment right away.

“So, about the accounts?” she chuckled behind her hand and Don frowned. She was perhaps playing dumb. From what he had seen so far, the Hotel wasn’t at risk of going bankrupt and the employees seemed fine, it wasn’t like they weren’t paid, but it was perhaps only a matter of time, if she continued that way. “Do I have a naughty employee robbing me?

His mouth twisted in a grimace remembering Usagi’s smug face. He balled his fists, between his legs. 

“Before checking the accounts closer, I want to negotiate the work contract,” he insisted.

Donatello knew he didn’t sound at all like a jobless man in an interview. He was speaking with the place’s owner on even footing, and it could have sounded rude and unwise. But she had been so unprofessional so far, he couldn’t help but act with her as he had done with Splinter. The Grand Nexus Hotel could have a golden layer, there was something not pretty underneath. There wasn’t even a need to scratch that far, these accounts books were the evidence. Don’s guts told him that if she was honest and not playing an act, Big Mama needed his guidance and knew it. 

That kind of person was very easy to push over. Splinter knew he was too much of a mess to get out of the shitty hole he dug himself. His snout wrinkled thinking back on the first time he stepped into the Ramen Shop kitchen and that the smell had made him gag. Poor Leo had seemed taken aback too and had jumped aside as cockroaches had run near his feet, instinctively shielding Mikey. Don had been overwhelmed by shame and anxiety to have dragged Leo and Mikey into such a shady place. The kitchen of the orphanage had been clean and Leo and Mikey were fed and not beaten and so, Leonardo must have felt he had made a mistake to follow Don. A huge feeling of responsibility had rushed over him and a deep resentment for Splinter had taken him. Splinter was a restaurant owner, he had said, and even if Don never expected crystal chandeliers, it was a shock. The man had lied to him, lied about his situation to the orphanage director, he had decided, humiliating him in front of the little turtle he so badly wanted to impress. 

It wasn’t even messy, it was so unsanitary that he knew they could get in trouble for it. 

He had gazed at Splinter very coldly and how the rat had seemed to shrink under the observation had comforted Donatello in his judgment; Splinter was incompetent but aware of it. That meant the spot was free for Donnie to take it over. He wouldn’t lose face in front of Leo and so, had taken charge of the whole place and it all been for the benefit of all, even Splinter. Of course, they weren’t wealthy when he died, but still, their situation was one hundredfold better than when he took them. If it wasn’t for Donatello, Splinter would have died in jail or in the streets. 

This actual situation was the same. This woman needed him and Don was confident he could help the Grand Nexus Hotel to become a chain hotel more famous than Hilton while searching for that ooze. But beforehand, they would need to have an intense negotiation. She looked less a lost cause than Splinter, so he would have to demonstrate to her the superiority of his brain to get the best-and safest conditions-for his brothers since they were forced to work, unfortunately.

“Let's talk about my brothers, first,” he said again. Now that he had met her, he supposed she skimmed their resume and this is why she had made such a wrong choice for Raphael. “As you see, my brothers and I are very close. When we decided to apply here, it was in the hope we would continue to work together. Michael as a croupier is an excellent choice. You got a hawk eye here.” Don had to make some concessions here and there and agree with her on something. The salary was far from his mind. Their “sponsor” had already deposited the money they agreed on in their account. So with their savings and whatever this woman would give them, they would be fine, even if he hated to think someone could use them as cheap labor. 

“I think my brother Leo would do an awesome job as a waiter in the casino,” he continued. This was the point he would insist, the real priority. “He is very close to our youngest brother and I know I exactly report what is in Leonardo’s heart when I say he would rather work with his brother than with a stranger.” 

A strained smile stretched Donnie’s lips, devoured by the need to tear apart that rabbit from the inside. “My brother Raph is also like a mother-hen to them, because he is brute force as you may have not quite noticed. He would definitively do an amazing job as security for your casino.”

Donatello cautiously didn’t bring himself up. Big Mama needed to still have some decisional power in this. By only moving Leo and Raph, he respected 50% of her original plan. Anyway, Don didn’t care that much about himself. Work wasn’t something that worried him, but his brothers did. He only had to bring at least the three of them together.

Raph would do the best job watching his baby brothers. His heart tightened in his chest at the thought of Raph. He must feel so lost, left alone with people he didn’t even know. That hadn’t happened to him since the orphanage and Don decided that for now, despite what he had to admit was burning jealousy about that rabbit, Raph must be his priority. It was very unlikely Leo would have a panic attack over being left alone. 

Leonardo was the brother that he had allowed the most social contact in the last year. To his sorrow, Leon was a social creature that loved to be liked and desired by others. Even if it always made him internally cringe, Don had tried to indulge Leonardo in that weakness by allowing him to play the honey trap. It was also for Donnie’s own good, to show he wasn’t as possessive as his brothers thought he was, and it was a way to keep a hold on his own heart, preventing himself from developing something as stupid as feelings. Of course, he had never meant for it to go as far as Leo whoring himself. That was only Leo being Leo, or rather Leo after he turned 14 years old and started to hang with unworthy people, becoming more rebellious.

No, he wouldn’t think of that right now. It only made his anxiety about Raph peak. Leo would be fine. Being in a relationship required him to give his partner some trust and Don was willing to give it to Leo. Anyway, it wasn’t like he could leave for Rio with that rabbit. Leo had the bracelet. Don had widened the range before the interview, not knowing exactly what would happen, and he didn’t want to risk shocking Leonardo. Indeed, they would work with twenty floors between them and Donatello tried to control the howling feeling he got to have to stay far from his brothers. He had no choice but to trust Leo to not become crazy. Leo was trust-worthy. Besides, Don was worth much more and had more to give than a mere bartender. If Leo would go as far as flirting with him, it would only be to get on Donnie’s nerves, nothing more. 

“Oh yes, your brother, Raphael. He's so handsome. He looks like the kind of guy that would be able to give a girl a good time,” she daydreamed and Don pursed his lips in frustration. Why were women so horny for him and his brothers, he would never know, but it was such a pain!

“He could be, I don’t know,” Don spat a little harsher than necessary. People lusting for Raph crawled under his skin even more than Leo. Leonardo was so charismatic, he could understand people being drawn to him even without bad intentions. If anything, Leo would stab them if they got too bold for his liking. But Raph was an innocent soul. Donatello’s duty was to protect him. Mikey wasn’t as innocent, because Leo raised him all wrong, so the emergency was less. Anyway, Mikey was more aware of his limits too. If he became too uncomfortable, he would just strangle them in a dark corner like Donnie had taught him to. 

Mikey and Leo had been trained to be assassins, so they would be fine. Raph too, but he was working only with a direct order, now.

When the orders were too vague, Raphael had a tendency to overdo it in his eagerness to please Donatello. If Don didn’t tell him to slice the hand sliding into his pants, Raph wouldn’t do it. But that wouldn’t prevent Raph from maybe hurting a baby, without meaning it, by hugging him too tightly. Often, there were bruises on Mikey’s skin, sometimes from unknown people, but some were Raph’s doing. Raphael loved his baby orange so much and hugged him very, very tight. Mikey never complained, but if Raph went overboard, he would, something that a baby could not. Then, Big Mama would get sued, and Raph too! 

“I don’t have an opinion about my brother’s physique.” April snorted and Don held back a snarl in her direction. “Any of them,” he spat anyway to make himself clear, even if he wasn’t naive enough to hope April would drop it. “But I do think it very hazardous to leave a seven-foot-tall mutant, all muscle but with a child’s mind, around babies and toddlers.”

“Oh well, what about we pay a visit to your brother?” Big Mama smiled cheerfully. Don was already about to stand up. Yes, he really needed to see Raph, for him to know Don didn’t abandon him.“But before you have to check those numbers and you,” she looked at April as Don sat back down with a sigh of frustration. “I need my nails done!”

****  
Raphael was gently holding the bottle as the baby drank his milk. The baby had half-closed eyes that screamed utter satisfaction and Raph felt overwhelmed to be the indirect source of that contentment. It reminded him of the sweet, sweet time when he was holding Mikey’s bottle. Too bad, that didn't last very long. He carefully put down the baby after a last nuzzle, before taking the next one. They were all so greedy for milk. He could relate, Raph loved milk too, it was the best with chocolate cake. 

He grinned at the polar bear next to him. She didn’t explain anything to him and so, he didn’t have to follow any directive. That was slightly unnerving, his whole life Donatello had drawn clear limits for him, with a detailed schedule. Every morning, after waking up to his alarm Don set for him, Raph was earnestly looking at his schedule, stuck on the fridge with magnets, in case Donatello had changed something on it and Raph messed up again.   
To be sure to not be mistaken, Donatello used pictograms to explain every step of his routine. Very often, Raph felt ashamed that someone as busy as Donatello had to waste his precious time.

Raph had not only a schedule, but he also had a menu to follow. Every single piece of food in the kitchen had been tagged with a color sticker according to his alimentary value. When Raph eats something, he has to peel off the sticker and stick it on a paper sheet. Sweets were awarded only if he had eaten all that he must eat before. Raph was always honestly following those directives. To his worry, Mikey was cheating. He didn’t even eat his 12 portions of fruits and veggies and only stuck them on the sheet by stealing them directly from the sticker sheet, hidden in the drawer. Of course, Raph never betrayed Mikey and reported to Don, but it made him all anxious inside, he felt bad to see Don’s law disrespected and feared bad consequences for Mikey.

Leo had no menu, or schedule, but Raph never complained. Leonardo was smart and he wasn’t. Don had trust in Leonardo to do the good thing. Indeed, the trust was deserved. Leo was eating his greenies. 

After his breakfast, was the pictogram of dumbells. That meant he had to get in the basement and train. On the dojo wall was his training program. At every station, he had to press a button that started the time, until he heard the buzzing sound that told him he had to stop pumping iron. Mikey and Leo hit the dojo around the same time and Mikey was always trying to distract him or mess up his programmed training. Raph wasn’t a robot to do all that Don wanted him to do, Mikey was always protesting.

Leo was a bad example to Mikey sometimes, not insisting enough that he shouldn’t disobey and so Mikey attempted to encourage Raph to do the same. 

Mikey had no idea Raph was much better cautiously monitored. 

The rest of the day was the same and even the moments where he was free had suggestions on how to occupy his time, like going on the terrace or coloring in the Stress Relief mandalas book Don gifted him with.

When they had a job to do, Raph diligently threw punches, until he got a clear “Stop” directive. He hadn’t had to think for himself for a while now, and it was so less complicated to only do what Donnie wanted him to do. 

So to have such a tiny, precious baby in his hands was very unexpected. It was kind of scary, but he still remembered how Leo did it and he saw a lot of movies too. To care for them should not be too hard. The baby held his finger in his fist and if Raph could melt more than that, he would have. 

He really hoped he wouldn’t wreck everything again and that it was fine according to Don’s plan.

Because that cute baby just smiled at him despite that Raph deserved no love and he hoped to stay there as long as he could. 

“It’s nap time,” the polar bear said. “We have to rock every one of them to sleep.”

Raphael nodded eagerly. He picked up three babies and rocked them all in his arms at once. 

“You are really fit for this job, aren’t you?” the bear said, smiling and despite his guts screaming yes, Raph didn’t dare to answer. It depends on what Purple wants, his mind told him.

He didn't even understand why they were there in the first place. Donatello had explained it to Mikey and Leo the day of the bracelet. Raphael didn’t know there was a bracelet, or what it would do, but just by how edgy Donnie was, he knew Leo would get punished. 

Raphael was so anxious, he didn't quite remember what Don had said, knowing that at every moment, it-whatever it was- would happen and Leo would get what he had asked for.

After that, the atmosphere in the house had been so tense, Raphael didn’t dare to breathe. 

Then, when Don explained to Mikey and him again, Raph was still in shock from breaking that customer's neck, because Leo lost it. He looked down at the babies he held; so tiny, so fragile and carefully he put them down in their cribs. 

Breaking a man's neck was so easy, a baby's would be so effortless, he wouldn't even notice.

Sweat beaded on his forehead and he stepped back with caution, looking around to not stumble on a little one.

He sat on a rocking chair and now, feeling hollow with no baby in his arms anymore, he picked up a plush, holding it tight. Was Plum okay at their home? Did he give her freshwater?

Did Don approve of him being there? What they were supposed to do, already He was sure Don didn’t mention any children. Did he? Again, Raph tried to remember the interview practice and the short briefing Don gave them. The more he thought of it, the more Raph was sure he never mentioned any baby. Raph would have remembered since he was fond of babies from the first day he took Mikey in his arms. 

If his speech had been as articulated as usual, Don was distracted and it had shown. He was so lost in his thoughts, he had forgotten to use the baby talk he usually addressed Raph with. It wasn’t that Raph couldn’t understand, but it kind of worried Raph so much, he hadn't paid attention to the words. Anyway, Don was supposed to be with them during this mission. Raph only had to do what Don told him to do, he dropped the idea to try to understand. 

Always do what Purple says, Papa Splinter told them when he was smelling of what Donatello called "poor life choices." Papa was saying that, but he wasn't following any diet, or doing exercise as Don said they must all do. Papa always tried to sneak donuts in Raph’s mouth when Don wasn't looking and so, wasn't any better than Mikey or Leo, who was doing Mikey's homework when they were reminded at the last moment, something Donnie would have disapproved of. 

Splinter said to listen to Don and Don said to never listen to Splinter and Raph had found it quite confusing to get opposite orders. Raph could be a slow learner, but he knew enough to know which side the balance was heavier on. It was the reason Don would pat him and call him his favorite brother. Raph wasn’t troublesome, Raph was behaving, docile, grateful, and no maintenance, Don enumerated, glaring at Mikey and Leo when they did something wrong. But Raph even if he was pleased to get praised, he knew it wasn’t fully true. Blue was the one Donatello loved the most. But it wasn’t something Raph would have dared to complain about.

From what he remembered, Donatello had been mad at him only once; Raph felt a pit in his stomach at the memory. Nothing really happened, but Raph still felt like it had been a close call.

It was a few weeks after the lilac T-shirt incident. Raph had done the laundry wrong and Don had decided that on weekends, he would do everyone’s laundry, except Splinter’s. Just by the face, he had pulled it was evident that even for a $100 bill, Don wouldn’t have touched Splinter briefs. Everyone had been surprised; doing labor work wasn’t Donnie at all and Leonardo had protested he could do it. Don had replied that they weren’t wealthy enough to risk ruining more clothes-at this, Raph had felt like dying of shame- and that since Mikey and Leo were already doing their share for the household, it was fair he did some chores too. Leo had been in awe and so, it had been decided. Donatello would be in charge of the laundry. 

For Raph, it had only been a habit, he hadn’t meant to disobey. After training in the basement, Raph had climbed up to the kitchen to get himself a healthy snack. Then, he noticed Mikey was wandering around butt naked again.

“No tail!”Raph had choked and Mikey had shrugged. Donatello was very insistent about the necessity to remain “decent.”

“It’s not my fault, relax bro. I have no more clean pants!” 

It had dawned on Raph it was his fault, he had to do the laundry. When Don said he would do it, he probably didn’t mean it. Donatello was far too good for chores. So, Raph had returned to the basement.

The first thing that he had noticed was the smell. It was very strange, kind of sweet, and then, he heard the murmur. It was Don’s voice and somewhat, he was sure it was Don’s scent too. Maybe Don didn’t know how the washing machine worked and poured too much soap? To not startle Don and give him the time to pull himself together before getting caught unable to do something, Raph tiptoed to the laundry room. What he had seen had blown his mind.

Donatello was leaning slightly over the washing machine, a piece of clothing clutched in his hand. Don was rubbing his face with it, and Raph had recognized the piece of clothes with no hesitation. It was Leo’s navy blue tank top he had used to train. The white letters spelling Fearless making it even less unmistakable. But what Don was doing, his snout into the top Leo sweated in as he was inhaling it more eagerly than Splinter with that weird glass pipe that was driving Donatello mad? 

But what his hand was doing more South was easy to guess as Don pumped his shaft, working on it, spreading the fluid on the hard flesh, with slick sounds. Raph knew what Donnie was doing because the talk they had about puberty was only two months old at the time. Donatello was touching himself, giving himself pleasure and it was so unexpected to think Don could have some weird dreams like Raph had and knew the same urge perhaps that he stayed there gasping like an idiot as Don chased down his climax, groaning, moaning the name of their brother. 

Raph had well understood the name, despite Don’s muffled voice, and anyway, by now, he should not be surprised about it. Raphael wasn’t even jealous to not be Donatello’s number one, anymore.

Don had made it clear from day one he wanted Leonardo. Raph had never thought before that Donatello could mean it _that way._ When Don had threatened to call the cops on Splinter for molesting Leo-their brother just fell asleep on their dad’s lap; Raph had thought Don was getting paranoid because of what had happened to him at the orphanage and that Donnie found anything even close to being sex-related disgusting. Donatello was pure through and through. When Raph had confessed his dreams and how itchy he felt at night, tossing in his bed, his length throbbing between his legs, he believed he had been alone feeling that way. 

But he had been wrong obviously he realized as Don bust into his palm moaning Leon’s name. Raph was still motionless and gasping when Donatello acknowledged he had a witness. His face had twisted with so much fury, had turned so flushed with anger that Raph had raised his arms to protect himself, sure to be hit. 

Once, Leonardo had told him a story about a Moon Goddess that had been spied on as she bathed by a hunter. She had been so mad to have been seen naked, that she had turned him into a stag and he got devoured by his own hounds.

A similar fate would happen to Raph to have discovered Don was “human.”

“You!” Don had walked toward him and grabbed him. “You are lucky you don’t talk because I will rip out your tongue!”

Never had Don spoken to him with so much rage. Donatello’s worst anger was directed toward Splinter at night when Leo and Mikey were in bed. Don made a big deal about them being in bed early. When they were both in middle school, Mikey had to be in bed at 9:15 and Leo at 9:45 pm. It left him some private time to snap at their father. Raph was allowed to stay up until 11:30 as the oldest and the only one not going to school, but Raph’s presence didn’t bother Don.

But Raph would have rather hid under his blanket and slept like his little brothers than heard Don hissing his contempt to an old man that wasn’t able to fight back. This was maybe why Raph’s heart howled in pity for Papa Splinter. 

They weren’t able to fight back against any abuse. Don wasn’t violent or anything, but more hurtful with his words than Raphael with his fists.

Raph had to stay carefully neutral and in fact, he was. Don was right; he was well-organized, intelligent, and a hard worker. The Ramen Shop was doing better since he was there, if it wasn’t for him, it would have been closed to it being unsanitary. Raph hadn’t had an opinion the first time he had stepped into the kitchen of the shop. Well, not too long before, he had gotten a bad concussion. Until he recovered, Don had made him wear some football helmet and so the memories of that time were somewhat blurry. But he still remembered it smelt funny and both Leo and Don were pale. Leo had gained back his sense rather quickly when Don had asked him for help, even if it showed he was slightly afraid of bugs, but Don had stayed livid, his lips in a thin line a whole week, working, cleaning, and killing the bugs with Raph’s help. 

Every time Donatello smashed a cockroach, pale and looking sick, Raph had been very afraid Don would snap and kill Papa Splinter with those long knives that were within children’s reach. 

Papa Splinter never knew how Don had worked hard to keep himself in check and not do something terrible. Maybe somewhere he told himself Don didn’t hate him that much and eventually would love him back. Papa Splinter never got that to have a soft heart and good intentions didn’t mean a thing for Don if it came with bad habits and poor life skills. 

But Raph was sure Don wouldn’t be able to hold himself back after he had been caught with his hand down his pants while sniffing Leon’s shirt. 

Raphael had dropped on his knees and cried and Don’s anger had vanished. He had said something about Leo’s clothes smelling like smoke and he was only concerned because smoking was bad. He had added that the new soap had given him an allergy that made some “part of his body” itchy. Raph had eagerly nodded at everything.

They never talked about it again but it was like since Don knew Raph had doubts, he didn’t have to hide as much as he has done before. It was from there that the questions had started about what Leo was doing. Don had found rolling papers in Leo pants and whether it was true or not, Raph understood why Don had offered to do the laundry. He could sniff Leo's clothes, but also, search them.

Again, Raph had felt like telling Don to be honest with Leonardo. He wasn’t sure he understood what Don wanted, but he was sure that if Don told Leo “Please, don’t get too close to that friend, because it’s painful to me,” Raph was sure Leo would have been less eager to see this friend. Leonardo was still docile enough at the time and he wouldn’t have hurt Donnie on purpose. 

“Did you just nod, Raph?” Raph still remembered vividly Don’s gleaming eyes. He had looked down very fast “Leon invited a friend here? Was it a boy? Or was it a girl?”

“Boy....” he had mumbled and he had felt the shiver run through Donnie.

Raph wished he could explain to Don that it wasn’t that bad. Leo wasn’t acting interested that way with Basket Boy. He wanted to say that neither of them was probably sniffing the basketball clothes of the other, but self-preservation made him shut up. 

“Did they go into Leo’s room?”

Raph had nodded again, cursing himself to be such a coward. He hadn’t even been able to look at Don. 

“How long has this been going on behind my back?”Don had hissed. “Has it been weeks? Or months? Look at me!” Don had snapped, before removing his eyeglasses and running a hand down his face. Don knew losing his temper with Raph wouldn’t make him magically speak. “I would say it’s been for about a year,” Don guessed. “And he started to grow close enough with him to influence Leon with wrong precepts, encouraging him to talk back to me…”

It had been true that Basket Boy was encouraging Leo to disobey, but Raph was between a rock and a hard place. Leonardo seemed happy playing basketball. Why should it be forbidden by Don’s rules?

“Find him and get rid of it.” Don’s voice was sharp as a blade. Don wasn’t even able to keep calling him, Basket Boy was it, something barely higher on humanity scale than the cockroaches they had to stomp for Leo’s sake in the kitchen long ago. “This house is mine and I refuse to let my brother be corrupted by some random guy. He must never come back!” Don had leaned his body over the table, grasping Raph’s hand and squeezing them in his cold hands. “If I’m the one intervening and laying down rules, Leon will complain I’m too controlling again. I need you, Raph.” Never Don had been sounding so fierce. “Be a good big brother and deal with it next week.”

It was a Sunday. Don had left a few hours later without giving further explanation. Raph hadn’t slept the whole week, half excited Don was counting on him but also terrorized by the request. He wasn’t sure what Don truly wanted him to do, but on Thursday, when Mikey had explained at breakfast he had a paper to do on Abraham Lincoln for the next day, he had understood Leo wouldn't be able to hang out with his friend. It was Summer, but Don had decided Mikey had to do homework to "keep good habits "during the vacations.

It was the opportunity to see Leo’s friend on the basketball court. 

Raph knew where it was. Sometimes, Papa walked with him there to see Leo play. It was a big effort for him. Splinter wasn’t comfortable with humans anymore, but he was proud of Leo and also, Raph needed a walk, he said.

Raph didn’t need anything, just for Don to be satisfied and his family happy. Still, it allowed him to know where to go. 

He had waited, hidden, until that Basketball guy was alone, still wondering what he would do. How did Don expect him to convince the boy to never come back? Don knew Raph had speech troubles and was even less likely to be understood by a stranger.

The guy was walking in the direction of their home. Maybe he could bring him home and Mikey could explain to him that for their family happiness, it was better if he wasn’t hanging out with Leo anymore? Would Mikey accept it? Mikey and Leo always sided with each other. It made Raph feel sad and alone, even if he could understand. Anyway, Mikey was probably in bed, now.  
Raph followed him two full blocks before he noticed his presence. 

"What do you want? You're Leo’s bro, right?” Basket boy had asked when he saw him. They were still three blocks from home, but it was almost ten pm. “Since you’re there, I have a message for your other bro, you know the bossy one? Tell him Leo isn’t his bitch!” 

Raph had opened wide eyes. He had no idea what a bitch was; he would ask Mikey at home, but from what he understood the basket boy seemed to be challenging Donnie about to whom Blue belonged. That poor guy had no idea what he was saying. Even Leo himself would choose Don over that friend, admitting Don allowed him to. 

“Oh, you’re the slow one. Give me your phone!”

The basket guy had snatched the phone from Raph’s belt. It was the kind of phone made for kids with only one saved number, Donatello’s one. 

“I will tell your control freak of a brother to stay away from my friend!”

Raph didn’t mean it really. He had kind of panicked. Don couldn’t be disturbed in his studies. It was one of the most important rules Leo himself set. Donatello should only be called if it was a matter of death. If Don got a call from the guy Raph had to get rid of, Don would be utterly mad at Raph. Then, Raph had no doubt that Donnie would drop everything, pay for a cab, and get a ride there to deal with the guy that dared to claim Leo for himself. 

Raph had only wanted to spare Don trouble.

Don had said to get rid of it, without being precise on how.

So he had squeezed, very very tight around Basket boy’s neck, trying to dismiss the image of Leo smiling and playing with his friend. He had choked the life out of the guy because it was very likely that was what Don would do anyway. 

When the guy turned all limp, Raph had dragged him into the alley next to their shop and had pressed the button to call Donnie. It was a matter of death, indeed.

When Donnie had shown up there, exactly 56 minutes later, he hadn’t been impressed. 

On the phone, his reaction had been rather cold. 

"I never asked you to go that far. Just to scare him off," he had said, flatly. "Well, it's too late now. Don't move. I'm coming."

Don had been more annoyed by the three fingerprints as Raph was dying from anguish next to him.

"I guess we need to slice off his head and burn it at home. Don't worry." Don had patted his shell and Raph had been taken over by doubt. Had Don been vague with his order on purpose, hoping for that conclusion? "I will take care of it,"Don had promised.“And I won’t tell. It will be our little secret.” Don had tried to smile and it had been frightening. Somewhat, Raph would have preferred if Don got angry at him. "There is no regret to have." He had bent over, flicking the pierced ear. "This piece of trash isn’t deserving of our Leon. He will be much better, free of him. He will stop bickering and fighting me." 

Leon never stopped, but he changed indeed, growing a little more sour every day.

"Being big doesn't mean being bad."

It was the polar bear nanny, smiling at him, her trembling paw on Raph's shell. She handed him a mug of hot milk.

She was right and she was wrong. She tried to be comforting and he got that. Anyway, he just had to breathe in the moment. Mikey seemed not too bad too. His little brother longed to have friends. Mikey deserved to belong with smart and cheerful people. For weeks his baby had been suffocating in the tense atmosphere of their home. Raph hoped Mikey would be happy, with good people.

Don was probably busy with Leo, working together in that huge place. If Leonardo was by his side and not too confrontational, Don would maybe forget about them. 

He took a long sip of milk, to drown away the ghosts of the past.

*****

It was 3:00 pm. The clients were coming and Mikey felt a tremor of excitement. Raoul had explained everything he had to know and anyway, cheating at card games was a topic he could speak on at a University. To be honest, Mikey was kinda surprised he hadn’t seen any of his brothers so far. Deep inside of him, he was more relieved than worried. Raph was so big that there was no way someone would try to pick a fight with him. Leo was sly and lethal and Don was a robot crafted by the Devil himself, giving off so many Made in Hell vibes, people changed sidewalks rather than cross next to him. It was still surprising they didn’t try to check on him, Leo at least. But Mikey supposed Don left him no opportunity to do so and since Don himself wasn’t concerned by him, maybe he had the time to have some fun.

Of course, there was the mission. Don had said he had great hopes in Mikey. Even if he wasn’t Donatello's number one fan, Mikey had no intention of disappointing him; but he also had no intention of getting over it too fast. 

This place seemed far too cool for Mikey to be in a hurry to leave. If he could be alone, it would be even better. To have no one breathing down his neck, for HOURS was something that hadn’t happened for him in ages!

And to get away after the atmosphere had been so heavy at home was making the freedom extra delicious.

Mikey cared deeply for Leo; damn he loved Leo so much, but to not have it shoved in his face that he was the one that caused Leo to get a taser bracelet was a break his mind was glad to have. It wasn’t that Leo blamed him for it. No, Leo wasn’t doing petty things like that. But Mikey knew he had acted like a reckless, selfish piece of shit and as the cowardly filth he was, left Leo to bear the consequences.

This morning, he had been too busy with Leo sulking and been sick and the whole new level of tense he had with Don to self-loathe himself again, but now, it was there, again, crouching in the bottom of his stomach, ready to leap. 

But he had to smile behind his blackjack table, beaming confidence and a bright mood and he did. His hands were the most skilled part of his body and he shuffled the cards, welcoming people.

The House was winning and he got tipped not too bad; around $80, when Raoul told him he could have a break. It was 7:30 pm and Mikey couldn’t believe it. Since he left school, he had never been without one of his brothers for so long.

Were they alright? Mikey pulled out his phone, worried by the fact Leonardo hadn’t even tried to contact him. Was Leo angry Mikey spied on them this morning? Was he just done with Mikey, the troublemaker? Or was he just good being alone with Donatello, the only one that truly mattered to him?

In the break room, Mikey was still staring at his phone, feeling uneasy and wondering if he should call Leo. Was he for real? He had complained for years to get some independence and now that he got it, he would call for no reason at all? But to be left alone for so long, after years of being watched so closely was kinda unnerving. He had no clear objective either, except making friends, and the prospect of gathering information from them.

Making friends was so much more of a commitment than killing people. It was even weirder considering it was with Donatello’s blessing. The guy was so suspicious, Leo always hid he had friends of his own, like Don would slaughter them or something. Even if in Mikey’s book Don was truly evil, and well, he had told Leo Donnie would strangle the guy with his own intestines, he couldn’t believe Don would do something more to them to be so icily rude and arrogant, that the friends wouldn’t want to come back. 

“Hey, relax!” Raoul was spread on a couch. “Why are you making that face?”

Even if it was very unexpected, anxiety flooded Mikey. His brothers were somewhere in that huge hotel and he has no idea where they were and when they would come back.

“When does our shift end?”Mikey blurted out. Raph was at the front of his mind. What if Raph was alone? He couldn’t believe Don would have allowed that. Don fiercely protected their big brother. It was Donnie’s sole cute side. Also, Don would not want to be far from Leon, his precious soulmate either. Only Mikey wasn’t desired, he had no soul mate that cared for him, only a brother turned mother figure to him and that maybe realized that Mikey wasn’t worth the trouble. 

“At 1:00 am, but here something to give us a little kick of energy,” Raoul pulled out from his jacket a small bag and Mikey’s heart skipped a beat, recognizing the powder in it. Mikey had been very well behaved since his overdose. He had vowed he would never use drugs again if Don would remove the bracelet, but did Don do that? He had also promised the same to Leo, but Leo had also promised they would be lovers and that wasn’t the case. It wasn’t Leo’s fault. Mikey couldn’t get in a horny mood with the threat looming over them that Leo could get shocked. Nor could Leonardo get horny for Mikey, period. Mikey had pulled Leo’s teeth to get that promise and well, it only made him feel even more unwanted. 

It had been a master move from Donatello, the evil bastard. He had granted his permission, but then, managed to be sure they didn't use the permission. 

The fact was now Mikey was upset and pent up and he decided he didn’t have to fulfill any promises. Don had told them to make friends and that was what he was going to do; snorting cocaine with an employee was a way to get them to lower their guard, right? Mikey was just doing it for the mission. Anyway, no one really cared what he was doing and well, no one would know. Mikey needed something euphoric to fill the gaping hole he felt in his chest. Something that would make him feel good, though he didn’t deserve it. But Mikey had always been a selfish prick.

He accepted the straw and snorted the powder deep, hoping it would go straight in his brain and blow it out so he wouldn’t have to think anymore about how unwanted he was in his own family.

It had only been five minutes and Mikey felt he was already breathing better; there was no weight pressing on his plastron anymore and he shut up any guilty voice that wanted to nag at him, in the back of his mind. 

“Want to have sex? I can suck you off,” Mikey proposed idly. It been a while since he’d had anything close to sex, not since the luxurious stay at the hotel. The sex was always putting his mind at ease, so familiar, as some old slippers.

“Maybe later. We only have a 45 minutes break.”Raoul seemed not at all taken aback by the offer. “Let’s get some food.”

Indeed, Mikey was hungry; he had been so distressed and busy, he hadn’t noticed yet.

They called to get pizza from room service and had a chit-chat. Raoul had a room in the hotel; he explained to Mikey how advantageous it was. Many of the staff lived at the hotel and it was a great place to get some hanky panky without any complications with the endless flow of tourists coming and going. There was even a drug dealer, spending half of his time at the turkish baths. Big Mama knew about it, he explained to a very interested Mikey, but she tolerated it. Mikey told himself it seemed very nice, even more compared to living above a Ramen shop, more watched than on a reality show and that Big Mama seemed definitively cooler than Donatello.

They had to go back to work in five minutes, when Raoul changed his mind about his offer, pulling out a cock that looked human-like. He sprinkled on it half of the contents of another bag and told Mikey to help himself. Raoul didn’t have to ask twice and Mikey threw himself at it like a seagull on french fries, swirling his tongue around the shaft, licking the bitter powder that dissolved so deliciously on his tastebud until his tongue felt numb. He bobbed his head up and down and his hand crawled down, reaching his own cock that was pulsating in his pants. He was turned on, so happy to be useful to someone. He had someone’s full attention and to keep the focus on him and as thank you, he did his best to be extra good. The precum was already filling his mouth, making the bitterness sharper and he slid his hand in his pants, jerking himself off when the door swung open and a weird scent came to Mikey’s raw nostrils.

“Baby!”Raph choked and Mikey never jumped so far from someone as he did from Raoul.

“Raph! What is going on!” Mikey wasn’t even bothered to have been interrupted. He wasn't worried about being snitched on, either. Poor Raph had no idea of what was going on. But Raphael’s appearance stole the show. Mikey has so missed him.

“Big Red has been good,” Raph cooed, but for a moment, Raph had cast a weird look on Raoul, the kind of look Mikey saw Don with and Leon too, when he met Leatherhead. Mikey didn’t pay it any attention as he noticed the stain on Raph’s clothes and guessed what it was.

“What happened?” Mikey asked, bewildered. Who puked on Raph’s clothes? Don would be so pissed! It was Raph’s only suit!

Raph handed him a sheet and more and more dumbfounded, Mikey snatched it, all arousal gone.

“Who is that guy?” Raoul asked, not angry or ashamed, just curious. 

“He is my big brother,” Mikey replied absentmindedly as he read the message. It seemed Raph was working in a daycare and since he worked very diligently all day and a baby puked his milk on him and they had no change of clothes for his size, Raph could go home early. Mikey could leave too, since Raph couldn’t be left alone. 

“I protect Baby from the bad guy,” Raph said in a way that could have sounded threatening if Mikey didn't know Raph was a big softie.

“I’m sorry,” Mikey told Raoul. He couldn't believe what he had just read. Raph working in a daycare?“It seems I have to go home. See you the next day I work. I guess tomorrow.” Mikey had no idea of the details. “Come on Raph, let’s go home.”

It was weird to return home alone with Raph. To be sure Raph wouldn’t ask any questions about why Mikey had kneeled on the ground, Mikey asked many questions about Raph’s day. It was heartwarming to hear Raph had a great time and Mikey told himself that this mission was a blessing if Leo also had a great day. It was unlikely with Donnie watching him like a hawk.

Speaking of which, his phone rang and stunned, Mikey realized Donnie was the caller.

  
*****

The day had been trying. It reminded Don of the punishment criminals got in Hell, according to the greek mythology. The Nexus Grand Hotel account book was sure of Danaides' barrel; everytime Donnie was thinking he was close to finishing, another one magically appeared. It was now past 9:00 pm, Don realized. It had been twelve hours since he had left their house, something that hadn’t happened to him since he left school. He had never been so long without news from his brothers and after hours of holding back, he couldn’t take it anymore. It wasn’t the fact he didn’t eat. Big Mama ordered oysters and Champagne, but Don only accepted an espresso. He wanted to finish faster so he could see his brothers. April had told a daring lie about her being a cinema student wanting to make a documentary on mutant life and had chosen the Hotel as the background she would use for her documentary. It was a very good way for April to get free to search the whole place, the way she wanted. Donnie had been so envious of April’s creative mind at that moment. She had left escorted by some mutants, probably more likely to manage to get the ooze. Don couldn’t allow her to succeed when his brothers would fail. Neither Leo or April would let him live it down. 

“I’m finally done,” he announced his voice, clipped, shutting the last book. He crushed his cigarette in the ashtray. At some point, he had given in. He had needed to smoke to stay grounded. “Tomorrow, I can transfer all this data into the software.” He insisted on the word tomorrow. for her to understand she had used him enough for the day. “Now about my brothers…”

“Oh yes, your brothers, you definitely deserve to have a break and make a call,” she declared, sucking on her teeth, after what was probably her 300th oyster. “You can call one of them, while I’m composing the contract.”

Don stared at her with dead eyes. He couldn’t believe he was reduced to getting to make a single call, like he was a prisoner. But that contract was what he had waited for the whole day and, swallowing his curse, he pulled out his phone. For a very short moment, he balanced who he would call. Raph was out of the question, even if Don was very worried for him. Leo probably would ignore him again and after such a day, that would be the last straw. If anything, Mikey was the best one to give him news from anyone. He called Mikey.

When he hung up, he was feeling slightly better. Mikey was with Raph and they were home. Mikey said Raph seemed very happy and he had had a very good day. He had no news from Leo, but Mikey was sure Leo was fine since “Leo had a very great ability to be loved by others.”

So, it was with mixed feelings that Don hung up, but he was even more determined to reunite all of them together. Raph could be happy with his new job, but when he got sued for breaking a toddler limb in his affection, it would be a different story. 

Big Mama had started with the work schedule. Don’s siblings would work from Thursday to Sunday, but none of them had the same exact schedule. Raph was supposed to work from 11:30 to 8:30 pm, Mikey from 3:00 pm to 1:00 am and Leo from 4:00 to 1:00 am, but from the next week, he would start only at 8:00. He didn’t need to work that much, because Big Maman was positive Leo would get around $300 in tips every night. Don didn’t care about the tips Leo could get, but he did care about his own schedule. Don would work office hours; Monday to Friday, from 8:30 to 6:00 pm with “the possibility of overtime”. They would be working in the same building, but it wouldn't be on the same floor either at the same time. The way she had planned it, Don wouldn’t be able to see his brothers anymore. Well, before, he was working in his office and didn’t see them that much, but then he had the choice. He could open the door if he wanted to.

But now, Leo would have more time with Usagi than Don. 

Don tried to argue, but despite all his cold logic, there was nothing he could do. Big Maman wasn’t understanding why grown-up mutants needed to work together. The whole building was filled with mutants. His brothers would have no fear of segregation. Were they not already living together? They were brothers, but not Siamese twins, she said. She wasn’t understanding and Don finally said that she couldn’t since she wasn't a mutant herself. 

She giggled and in front of Don’s disbelieving eyes, she turned herself into a huge, spider-like mutant. She was big, twice as big as Raph, with spider legs and arms ending with claws and six red eyes that stared at him.

“And now, my handsome employee, what is your last point? I’m sure your brothers will thankfully agree to my conditions.”

Don got it; it was either accept that or not get the job. For a moment, Don was tempted to say fuck it. He would see his brothers more if he wasn’t there, but then, how would they manage the mission? His brothers needed his genius in the place. 

He tried again to get Raph out of the daycare, seeing as he could foresee some unfortunate incident. But she brushed away his concern. The only thing Don could get was that she wrote down Raph would not be held responsible if something happened.

“You should have more trust toward your brothers,” she told him and it was his turn to brush it away. It wasn’t that bad, he decided. He would already be in the place. Nothing prevented him from hanging out at the hotel as a client after his shift with Big Mama.

They discussed the health insurance and she told him the hotel had its own clinic, with many specialists and all healthcare was on the house. Don found it rather fishy, but illness was far from his mind. Except for Leo’s pneumonia, Raph’s concussion-but that was at the orphanage-and Mikey’s overdose, they were always fine. Don never got any illness or injuries, always being perfectly healthy. That is what you get when you live a sane lifestyle and keep out of trouble, Don always told his brothers. 

After he signed, she turned human again and wanted to kiss him to “seal the deal” and Don had to turn her down for about the tenth time. 

“I told you, I have someone.”

The whole day he had tried to keep his mind far from Leo to stay focused and not get crazy over anxieties, telling himself he had to act like a professional. The whole deal to not kiss and have sex with Leo was to keep his eyes on the objective. 

“You may return home, it has been a draining day, she said, yawning. “But if you want to follow me into the honeymoon suite I’m sure I can get my energy back,” she said.

“No thank you,” Donatello retorted. “I will join my brother Leonardo.”

She finally let him free with a smirk and Don refused her help to find the way back to the White Rabbit. He pushed the door open, bracing himself but it was still a shock when he saw Leo, casually sitting on the counter and chatting with the rabbit, a martini glass in hand. Leonardo turned his head and Don saw it: Leo was unhappy to see him and the realization hit him painfully.

“A gin tonic,” Donatello spat, to hide how hurt he was. “Now.”

Leo shared a look with Usagi, as if silently asking permission and Don’s anger flared up. After a long day working hard, being the office slave of a demanding woman, Don would have liked a more welcoming greeting.

“Coming,” Leo replied with no eagerness at all, turning away from Don.

The rabbit grabbed a gin bottle but Don’s clipped voice cut in.

“I will only drink something Leon made. Not you.”

Don could tell Leo was pissed, but all of sudden, he longed for something Leo made for him, like when he gently set a tea cup on his desk, in the afternoon. Why did Leo stop doing that anyway? Oh right, the Champagne night. If he had to be honest, Don regretted it. He acted coldly because he wasn’t ready to develop feelings. Their business wasn’t at its peak yet. But the whole thing of not developing feelings had pushed Leo away. They should talk. Don told himself again. This morning he had wanted to talk but Leo had acted as stubborn as a donkey. 

“Here,” Leo said, putting down a little harsher than necessary a purple drink in front of Don. “Bitter and cold like you.”

Donatello thanked him but Leo turned his back as if even a thanks from Don wasn't something he could bear. A flash of minty green standing on black caught his attention and Don’s stomach dropped to the floor. Leo’s tail was visible; purposely visible by a hole in the pants. What was that indecency? Was this not supposed to be a classy bar or something?

Don poured the drink down his nervous throat. He was too fast for his taste buds to recognize more than a quick burn and he ordered a second one. Leo flicked his tail, as a toreador provoking the bull to charge and it took everything Don had to not flip the table and trash the place. He kept himself in check for Leon’s sake. He didn’t want to show his brother that ugly, inelegant, sloppy side of him. 

When he was done with his second glass, Don glanced at his watch. 

“It’s 1:00 am, Leon. Let’s head home.” He pulled out his wallet, slamming a $100 bill on the table. He would show that rabbit that Leon doesn’t need tip money; Don could support Leon just fine.  
Leonardo looked at Usagi like the rabbit was his boss and Don crumpled the napkin in his hand. To be sure to not lose it in public, he compelled his mind to picture Leo in the bath, moaning, cumming, calling Don master. 

“You can go, I will do the closing alone,” the rabbit said and Don rose up quickly, in his eagerness to get away as soon as he could so as not to just punch the guy. 

In the car, the ride was silent. Don had expected Leo to reproach him for his rudeness, but Leo was silent and moody and Donatello felt himself internally dying to see his brother so unreachable. 

“What about Mikey and Raph,” Leo finally asked, breaking the heavy silence.

“They are fine,” Don replied, slightly relieved Leo was talking to him. “Raph got puke on his clothes. Oddly, he wasn’t grossed out. Mikey told me the stink was so awful, no cab wanted to take them. They took the subway.”

“Mikey didn’t text me,” Leo said, frowning. 

“I called him,” Don explained.“Between playing accountant and turning down sexual harassment,” he added bitterly. Leo didn’t ask a single question about him. 

They were now home. All the lights were off. Leo was pulling on the car handle, and suddenly, it dawned to him. The rush of jealousy he felt toward the rabbit made it more urgent to look the monster in the face. He may have fought his whole life against it, not wanting it to get in the way of his studies or their business, but it was too late. He had feelings, he did feel the L-word and he forced his mind to spell it aloud: Love. 

Was it too late? Leo had told him yes at first and then, had protested he couldn’t since Don refused to kiss and have sex in his bed. What if he gave that to Leo now? There was no need to guard his own heart. Leo had always had it in the palm of his hand since Don saw him peeling potatoes.

On an impulse, Don jerked him around and kissed him in that forceful way of his, shoving his tongue down Leo’s throat with no restraint all, all barriers down. Leo tasted so good, despite the lingering taste of alcohol. His mouth was warm and his whole body too. It took Don only three seconds to tell himself he couldn’t make it to his bed. 

“Don’t touch me!” Leo shouted with a hard shove and he rushed to the house as if Don was frigging Jack the Ripper. 

What was that? Did Leo not want a kiss that morning? Why all the mixed-signals?

“Leon!” Don ran and slammed Leo’s shell into the wall the moment he stepped into the Ramen shop by the employee door. He didn’t want to hurt him, but couldn’t bear to see him walk away. “We need to talk!”

“No! I’m done.” Don was trying to hold him in place, but Leo was determined to not let himself be pinned, struggling hard. “I told you I don’t want to be your sex doll. Do as you usually do, rent a whore and leave me alone!” 

To hear Leo didn’t want him wasn’t an answer Don could accept. He loved him so much, it hurt. It was the fault of that bartender. He had corrupted Leo’s mind. He must have flirted with him and Leo, in his thirst to be desired, had been appealed. 

“Why? For you to be free to sleep with that bunny?” he snarled in Leo’s face. He would never allow it! That bartender didn't even know Leon at all. He never did anything for him, for Mikey. He probably threw to Leo some praise about his body or something. Leo was weak to smooth talkers. He wouldn't get his lover robbed from him by such a plain, vulgar, plebeian man. That guy wouldn't love as Don did, never care for him and their family. How Leo could consider that? Don was so serious about him! He wanted their name carved on each other! Anyway, why Leo would see elsewhere! They have incredible sexual chemistry! Leon wouldn't dare deny it!

“Maybe!” Leo retorted. He disengaged himself and climbed the stairs without a care in the world, even if he knew his answer had been like an arrow piercing Donnie’s heart

“You can’t! You’re mine!” Don roared, after the initial shock faded. All he ever did was for Leo and their family, from the stomped cockroaches to the millions in savings. Don’s insane hours of work and study had been for his brothers. It was for them to be safe, in a cabin near the mountain with a lake, for Mikey to learn ice-skating. Raph would be happy near the wildlife and he and Leon could have all the hot sex Leon needed to be content in their own room. 

But now, he couldn't wait for that blessed future. Leo was an impatient turtle and Don realized that fighting with himself was much more counterproductive than having feelings. Now the real issue was to prove he had those, after having spent his life hiding them. Leon was sweet, easily moved, and quick to forgive. He knew that, it was all the qualities he lacked and that had pleased him in Leon in the first place. 

He wanted to explain himself, but Leo looked down at him with cold eyes, not at all impressed and Don felt a cold pit in his stomach.

“Show me the invoice you got, to have bought me and we can talk about how you can get a refund,” Leo mocked. 

“Leon!” Don urged, rushing over him, grabbing him. They needed to settle this. How Leonardo could stay insensitive to his pain? Was he not seeing how Don was serious? “Leon!”

“Stop using my name so much, you will have to buy me another.”

“Come with me...I mean...In my bedroom. Not the bath, the bed,” Don explained, so out of his cold usual self, he tripped on his words. This is what Leo wanted, right? To be made love to, in Don’s bed, like a legitimate partner, right? If Leo didn’t want them to hide their relationship, Don wouldn’t. The little he did was to spare their own brothers' feelings. 

“For what?” Leon asked flatly.

“I want…” Don decided he looked like a dumbass and squared his shoulders. “I want to have full sexual intercourse with you,” he announced solemnly. He was aware it wasn’t a very moving way to say it, but it was like he had no control over his mouth and brain in the emergency of the situation. Leo was pulling away from him and his brain blew like wet fuse, being of no help at all.

Leonardo didn't react. The lack of expression on his face was unexpected and a very bad omen.

“So?” Don asked, shaking from head to toe, having never felt so overwhelmed in his whole life, even when Leo forced him to watch that video of him getting screwed by another guy. It wasn’t rage, it was despair and fear, even more tangible than when Leo left him to run away with Mikey. All the feelings he had vowed to never feel were there, tearing him apart from the inside. 

“No.” Leo’s answer was firm and icy, totally indifferent to the critical hit he just delivered to Don. It was like in one shove, Leo had pushed Don off a cliff. The pain was so excruciating, when Don managed to try to gasp for breath, Leo’s door was shut. 

In a jerky move, Don reached for his bracelet, but then, he let his arm go slack. Physically punishing Leonardo wouldn’t make him feel any better, or improve Leo’s feelings toward him. 

If anything, it was Don’s fault. He had let those feelings grow in him, indulging in them. April was also guilty, he decided. If he hadn’t listened to her nonsense and played with Leo in the bathroom, he would have felt less betrayed right now. They shared oaths and Don felt like he had been deceived. It was too many feelings at once for a man like him to cope with.

Don hadn’t said his last word; he was clever enough to understand Leo needed time and space, and could love flirting and playing hard to get, but Leon should know better than play with Don’s heart. 

Furious, he went into his room and slammed the door. 

  



	30. Back in Time: Art by B0xfish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since the story beginning their arrival at the Ramen Shop had been many times mentioned. Maybe an image would explain to you better the shock Don had and why he decided to take over the place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, I edited the last chapter last part. It was lacking emotion, so you can give it another try if you want, from when Don joins Leo at the White Rabbit.


	31. Playing with Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fan art by Shellyshocked "Play with Fire" https://twitter.com/shelly_shocked/status/1357320502314995713  
> Fan art by NightNeko Dynamic Drama https://twitter.com/NekoPublic/status/1357593885707407364
> 
> I got those fan art for the Show your Love event! Thank you guys, I love them and love you!
> 
> And you totally need to see that! https://twitter.com/JaeKaeBae/status/1358503140765687809?s=09
> 
> Leo's retort is now on a t-shirt!  
> and thanks to SundayEyes for the beta!

The next morning was a Saturday and so, Don wasn’t supposed to work for Big Mama. Just thinking of it was making him grind his teeth. How could he, someone of superior intelligence who didn’t even need the money, work in a subaltern position for that woman? It was infuriating. But what was truly great about Saturday was that it also meant he could confront Leo before his brother went to work. There was no way Leo could leave for work without Don getting his point across; Leonardo could think of himself as free, he wasn't. Leo could try to run away, Don wouldn’t let him go. Leo was his, was his for years and accepted to be and Donatello wouldn’t drop it.

Leon could refuse to have sex, Don wasn’t a caveman, as upsetting it was to be told no. Leonardo could not be in a horny mood, even if in the last years he always seemed to be. Leo refusing to have sex wasn’t the real issue here. The issue was that Don had thought he had offered to Leo what he wanted and got a very harsh refusal for his trouble. 

Leon had asked for a kiss, over and over again. He had insisted on having anal sex in Don’s bed and that was exactly what Donnie had been ready to give him. But Leo just changed his mind again and Don had gone through the humiliation of being turned down with...something like disgust. Leo hadn’t refused the sex; he had refused Donatello as a whole. 

By now, Donatello was used to Leo’s change of mood and his sassy remarks. Leo had called him many names over the years, like his “pimp” insult, but never had he felt Leo so...serious about it. That change was concerning and Don wanted to know where it was coming from. The branding wasn’t on the table anymore, Don didn’t even mention it last night. His brother didn’t need to worry about being burned or about having Donnie’s name carved into his flesh. But Leon was still angry and acting as if they weren’t committed to each other. He had rejected him, taunted him about possibly cheating, and all of that right after Don admitted his feelings to himself. In Donnie’s book, it was unacceptable. 

Donnie didn’t sleep a blink, making peep talk in his head and mentally going over his speech for the next morning and the probable argument he would go through with Leonardo. The temptation had been great to not wait so long and just kick open Leo’s door to make him hear reason instead of enduring this long, agonizing wait while his mind tortured him by replaying the scene of Leo shoving him and walking away from him. 

But Donatello was sensible enough to restrain himself. A confrontation right now could lead to terrible consequences.

Of course, Don wasn’t as out of his mind as to rape Leonardo. He wasn’t that low. Anyway, all arousal had died in him at getting such a sharp refusal after having voiced the desires that he had held back for so long. 

To see Leo so soon would end badly, but not from his doing. Leonardo was furious and didn’t have the time to calm down, yet. Donatello was as mad as Leon, but he wasn’t mad to the point of losing it and becoming violent physically. He also had a lifetime of experience to keep himself-and the tiny bit of a temper he has- in check. There were other means to force someone than to use violence, but Leo was sometimes totally deaf to reason. 

Leo was a physical person, using his body often as a way to express himself, either by caresses or punches. That is something Donnie had made the mistake to forget when he had wanted to explain the implication of a relationship between them. He should have used more body language-and-sooner-to make his intent clear.

The fact was that if he barged too soon into Leo’s room and demanded answers, it was very likely by how riled up they were actually, it would turn into a fight. Don could love to be rough while having sex, but hurting Leo purposefully wasn’t something he wanted to do. Anyway, Don had no illusions. Leo would easily win the fight. He could have kicked Leo’s shell in the Dojo two days ago, with a six-foot-tall bo, a weapon Don was more used to than Leonardo. He had also used the advantage that Leo was distracted and confused about Don’s real intent. Leonardo wasn’t confused about his feelings right now. His refusal had been so firm, Don knew he couldn’t even blame the alcohol for it. Leo was thoughtfully angry and an angry Leon was a dangerous Leon, even if Leo did have a soft heart.

Leon was smart and an excellent schemer. He was skilled in many ways, and that was what had drawn Don’s attention to him. That was why Leo was his second in everything, Donatello had faith in his physical and intellectual abilities. But Leon had one big flaw that prevented him from being a real leader like Don. A flaw that a successful business couldn’t afford to have.

Too strong of an emotional response.

Leonardo could be very impulsive if he felt strongly about something. Don wouldn’t be surprised to find out that Leo had sliced off the head of someone that had pissed him off. How April was still alive was sometimes beyond him. She was asking for it. But the point was that Leon, truly mad or feeling cornered, could turn deadly in a blink. It was probably the gang attack aftermath that led such a sweet creature as Leon truly was, to that extreme. 

In Leo’s room, there was no bo, or the possibility of fighting at distance. Leo had at least one blade on him, a knife in his drawer, and one under his pillow, from what Donatello knew. Leonardo was a very skilled fighter, like quicksilver, never missing his aim, a formidable opponent. Donatello knew because he had been the one that wanted Leo to be so deadly. But now, his own creation was turning his shell to him. Leonardo was acting in such a confusing way lately, Don didn’t understand him anymore. In the bathroom, after the branding suggestion, Don wasn't afraid Leo would dare to kill him. He still wasn't, but...

He couldn’t be sure Leo wouldn’t physically try to harm him in a very definitive way. It was breaking his heart to think so, but Don had reached success by accepting even the ugliest truths at face value. In his fury, Leo could probably stab him, not critically; probably in the arm or thigh, but it would still hurt Don in his chest. 

If Don wanted to win the fight, he would have to pull his gun on Leon, something he would never do. He would rather use it on himself. 

Donnie was a softshell turtle, and that was the reason that from his very first day, seeing how physically weak he was, he kept himself away from any fight. In his youth, the only way he could retaliate was to be very sneaky; he was a child, so people had the tendency to underestimate him and leave their guard down. If the situation required it, putting his family in danger, Don had never hesitated.

At the time, Raph was his only family. They were both alone in a hostile human world. For his daily protection, Raph had his back. His eldest brother was so serious about it, it was like Don had glued another turtle shell on his. He didn’t mind at all, that Raph was so clingy even if he pretended to be bothered by it because he was unsure how he should receive that affection. He didn’t mind because Raph was like him, they were the same, they needed to stick together; it was basic self-preservation. In return, Don would protect him with his brain, Raph’s weak spot.

Even if at the time, Raph was mostly shy and not as obviously challenged as today, it was evident he didn’t have the smarts to survive long without Donnie. As Raph grew attached to Don, Donatello grew used to Raph's silent presence, as if he was indeed a part of himself, a limb. But at two, they weren’t strong enough to make it out of the orphanage and this is why he had been so fascinated when he met Leo, a balanced mix of strength and intelligence. 

Leo had a hard shell. He wasn’t as fragile as Donnie and something in his stance showed the promise of a future good fighter. Leon could talk, was a quick learner, and was silver-tongued enough to be loved by humans. He also had a little something else that Don couldn’t identify at the time, but he knew he lacked it and wanted it badly for himself. It was like a hormone his own body couldn’t produce but needed to get by proxy to stay functional.

Leo also loved and cared for the little baby strapped around his plastron. Don had decided that part of the reason he wanted Leo with them was that he would make a good Mom for Raph. Sometimes, at night, Raph was calling for “Mom.” Don knew Raph had no Mom. Raph was from a lab, like him, made for military purposes. Still, Raph’s cries for a Mom reached Donnie and so, he had convinced himself that he so badly wanted Leo only to give a Mom to Raph. It wasn’t at all because his heart leapt in his chest when those shining black eyes scanned the room, almost landing on him, but missing, because Don hid at the last moment. 

They would bring Leo home because they needed him. Don needed a clever and reliable brother to help him; a partner. Raph wanted a Mom and well, Mikey was a mutant turtle like them. There was no way Don could have left him behind. They would have love and help from each other and build themselves a safer home. But deep inside of him, Don knew he didn’t have a sharing nature. That bartender just reminded him of that trait within himself. 

The Winter from Vivaldi filled the room and Don almost jumped out of his skin. It was time for him to wake up, but he hadn’t slept at all, just glaring at his ceiling for the last four hours.

For a moment, Don thought he couldn’t go through his routine after such heartbreak. He had no choice but to call it that; he felt a hollow pit in his chest, numbly aching. He could just swallow some sleeping pills down, set his alarm for noon and close his eyes. But then, he decided that he couldn’t appear to be weak. 

It would send a wrong signal to Leonardo. If Leo thought he was the only one who could play the hard-to-get game, he was sorely mistaken. Well, Don didn’t feel like playing any game at all, but he had enough instinct to know that cornering Leo and displaying some anxiety first thing in the morning wasn’t good. Leo would know Don had spent the night thinking of him, maybe Leo would even make up crazy scenarios like Don had actually cried over him. Leo would probably be very entertained by that idea and would try to poke the wound, just for fun and to have a good laugh with Mikey, his partner in crime. 

Somewhere, on the way to money and success, Leo had developed a sadistic side, Don decided. He really didn’t know how or why, but he knew he deeply missed the sweet turtle he had been before.

It was probably that...friend with pierced ears that had turned Leonardo all confrontational and provocative. Don didn’t know a lot about that friend. Leo had been very sneaky about him, but deep down, his guts had told him that there was something off about Leonardo, from the Fall when they were 14 years old, about the same time Don started to have those twisted dreams, to the day Raph spilled the beans, a week before Don’s 15th birthday. There had been many signals; Leonardo was often daydreaming and sighing and a few times was talking back bitterly. The epitome had been that failure of a dinner April had crashed. He had never seen Leon so aggressive and the sparkle of jealousy had lit up in him for the first time. Was Leon acting out of his way because he had dreams similar to Don, but featuring someone else, someone Don didn’t even know?

It had been a humiliation for him to get busted by April crouched with a cup of flour near Leo’s door. That girl had flaws but she was smart. She knew what he was doing, but the way she had acknowledged and accepted it had kinda encouraged Don that he was doing the right thing. 

It wasn’t long after that, that Don had started to suspect Leo was sneaking out, but not using the door or doing it when Donnie wasn’t home. That prospect had made him furious and uneasy. To feel played and unable to do a single thing about it was a terrible feeling he had no idea how to cope with. He wasn’t sure what to do with the idea of Leo seeing people he didn’t know, doing things he disapproved of. 

His heart raced, and he was overwhelmed by dread and hopeless rage at the idea of Leo having a lover, a lover that did all the things Don did in his dreams to Leon. He never thought it could happen. In his mind, they would be always together, the four of them. From day one, he knew he felt a special connection to Leonardo. Of course, when he was a child, he had no sexual desire, but still, it had been there, lingering under the surface: they were fated to be mates. 

That his brother used his absence to see other people, when Don wasn’t there for the sake of their family’s future in the first place, drove him crazy. If Leon was hiding it from him, it was obvious they were doing reprehensible things. He knew that there was no way Mikey would snitch on Leon and Raph barely spoke, so he had even tried to draw some information from that useless rat-man. Splinter had only spoken to him in fortune cookie sentences. 

“In order to take, one must first give.”

As a last resort, livid with jealousy and helpless rage, after having found the rolling paper, he had turned to Raph; if anything, Raph was the only one trustworthy in their family. And Raph loved and knew him, knew how hard Don worked for them. Anyway, he had no reason to hide his motive. Don’s motives were very pure, he only wanted to be positive that Leonardo's acquaintances were flawless, for the sake of Leo’s reputation at school. 

It had been a shock when Raph had blurted out the truth: a boy had been in Leo’s room and Donnie was damn sure it wasn’t for any school work. Leo needed no help and if he did, he would ask him, Donnie, smarter than a random middle-schooler. 

Donatello had felt like a clawed hand had seized him by the throat, squeezing it and murmuring to him that he couldn’t allow that. Leonardo belonged to him. He wanted him. Erotic pictures from his dreams flashed in his mind. The need to possess, to mark, to own Leonardo from the outside and the inside blinded him. It had never been that vivid before and the possibility of losing that to another guy had made him dizzy. He had breathed hard, struggling to keep a composed face to not scare Raph. 

“Get rid of it!”

At the time, Don had no intention of acting according to his fantasies. Jerking off at the memory of his dream was enough already to deal with. During the day, Don avoided Leo the best he could to protect him from his wicked carnal desires. But just because he couldn’t sate his urge that didn’t mean someone else could do it. If Don couldn’t have Leon, make Leon moan as he thrust into his hot body, then no one else could either. Leonardo was far too precious to be tainted by someone else. If he couldn’t see Leo’s bedroom eyes, no one would.

Don didn’t know the guy, but one glance at his corpse had confirmed to him that it was good riddance. Since he was already dead when Don got there, he missed the opportunity to make him talk about what he said to Leo, what they did. But Don was sure Leon’s character change was his fault. 

Just thinking that such a shady guy had touched Leon was making him itchy to clean Leo with bleach. Thank god, it was over now.  
To not show his utter satisfaction in front of Raph had been hard.

At the time, the building next to their shop wasn’t their garage, but a butcher shop that had been a pizza shop before. It had been out of business for two years and was easy to break into, considering Mikey often did, when he was sulking. Donatello wasn’t dumb enough to take care of a body in their home and so, he left it in there.

Because he was doing him a favor, he had taken Raph to an ice cream shop to buy him a Banana split with extra caramel. Then, back home, he had told Raph to go to sleep while he would take care of everything.

It would be a very long night, but totally worth it if that meant the missing guy couldn’t be connected to them. There was no way Raph would go to jail.

In the former butcher shop, there was a table that had a drain at one end placed over a sink. He had waited until the body was drained of blood, while idly smoking and wondering if he should block April,s number once and for all since she was so annoying texting him nonstop, to get invited to their home again. Then, he sliced off the head and carefully peeled the skin from the skull and fingers, and burned those fleshy remains in the still functional oven. He had kept the earring, sliding it in his uniform pants. That son of a bitch had dared to wear a blue stone and he had the impression the guy did out of love for his brother, since royal blue was Leo’s favorite color. Maybe they even shopped for it together and there was no way the guy, dead or alive, could keep something that was a reminder of Leo.

Then he had put the body in a bag and the head in another and borrowed Splinter’s car. He was 14 years old and had no license, but mutants weren’t controlled, anyway. He had dropped the head in the Hudson River and the body in the East River.

He had smoked a moment, gazing dreamily at the river as the sun rose, thinking it was a job well done, even if he never asked for it, explicitly. He hoped, like the body weighed down with bricks, that friends like that would never resurface in Leo’s life. If that happened, he would stomp them like the vermin they were, like the cockroaches in Splinter's filthy kitchen, long ago. 

Killing and getting rid of bodies was so tiring and bothersome. It didn’t suit the image Donatello wanted to give off. It made so many ugly things crawl over him, like he was being devoured by fire ants. He had no pleasure doing so, more the opposite, but some things needed to be done in order to protect loved ones.

It had been the first time his mind had spelled out that cursed word of love and Don had felt afraid. Afraid of the depth of his feelings and how deep he was ready to go for them. Donatello wasn’t a moron, he knew that he had acted out of jealousy and that wasn't something one should expect from a stern older brother, an elite student and a future successful businessman. That extreme gap in him could scare off people. Didn’t he get kicked out of the lab for that? Didn’t the people of the orphanage want to do the same? Donatello hadn’t minded really, but to see Leo’s pale and disturbed face knowing Don had severed his friend’s body was something he hoped he would never see. It was evident Leo would kick him out and Don was far too weak with Leon. He would leave and kill himself before crossing the street.

But of course, Donatello wouldn’t allow such a debacle to happen.

As Mikey wouldn’t betray Leon, as Raph wouldn’t betray him. Don was smart enough to not betray himself, ever. But he had to avoid feeling that strongly ever again, he decided. If he indulged in his need to possess Leon, horrible things and chaos would follow. 

With annoyance, Don pushed the memory down, where it belonged. He was already too deep with Leon to step back, but it reminded him of why Leo getting close to other people was dangerous and why that rabbit must be kept away, but with still some gentlemanly appearances. 

And that was the objective Don would work toward today. Begging Leonardo was not part of the program. Yesterday, Donatello had tried to be compliant and talkative and nothing good came of it. Instead of going out of his way with Leonardo, he would act like he was used to doing not too long ago, which meant minding his own business and staying in his office. After lunch, when Leo had more time to think it over, Don would come out of his office, ready to hear Leo’s apology. If Leon played the prideful bastard and didn’t apologize. Don would have to step in and convoke Leonardo into his office. 

Determined, Don jumped out of his bed, starting with his routine. He did his warm-up flex, made his bed, and hit the Dojo. 

He dismissed the urge to just skip the elliptical and beat the shit out of the punching bag. Keeping himself in check meant no derogation to his habits. Absentmindedly, Donatello set the speed of his elliptical, trying to fill his mind with white noise. He was so caught in the train of his thoughts that he realized it had been a while and that the 30 minutes was done. 

After a large gulp of water, he turned with satisfaction toward the punching bag, picturing the bartender’s smug face. He gave a sharp blow that made the chain cringe, before throwing himself without any restraint into it. Hitting a punching bag was the correct thing to do, and he had even less reason to hold back when he had no witnesses. 

Again, it took him a moment to realize his knuckles were bloody because he forgot to put his gloves on and was fiercely striking the bag for about an hour. 

With a long sigh, he wiped his sweaty forehead and tskk with annoyance at his hands. It would be obvious Don had been bothered, to the point of distraction and that he overdid his training. Leo was too observant to not notice and too clever to not do the math. He will have to wear his leather gloves, the same he used to felt Leo up, not too long ago

Again the thought of his brother arose a wave of horny anger in his mind. He was thirsty for him, craving him but so mad at the jerk for the inner turmoil he was making him go through.

With great strides, he walked to the laundry room and rummaged inside the laundry basket. When he found what he was searching for, he snatched it and walked back to his room. Since Raph caught him years ago, Don was very prudent about his private activities of self-pleasure. Thank God, it was Raph that had walked in on him. Of all the people in their home, he was the least dangerous one. It could have been Mikey and their little brother would have never let him live it down, blackmailing him until the end of time. Of course, Leon would have been the absolute worst. Don could only imagine his face at the time, twisted by disgust as he had been when he had seen the cockroaches. At the time, Leo was blissfully unaware of sex. Today, Leo would probably just mock him, but that wasn’t any better.

In the privacy of his bathroom, Don undressed, still clutching the black boxers. It was easy to find Leo’s piece of underwear. Don was the one buying them. They were either navy blue or black. Since they were both the same size, Donnie bought the black ones from two different posh brands. It was impossible to mistake them with Raph and Mikey’s, not only because of the color but also by the size.

Leaning over the toilet, his snout deep in the black fabric, inhaling. It was indeed Leo’s scent, spicy and sweet, but masculine from the agarwood and tonka bean soap he bought for him. For years, from the moment they had enough money to buy stuff not from the Dollar stores, Don had carefully chosen what would suit Leo the best. There wasn’t a single detail of his physical person that didn’t wear Don’s mark. Leo’s clothes, Leo’s smell, Leo’s alluring, supple but muscular body, Leo’s fighting abilities were all Don’s handiwork. At this point, refusing to have his name on him was only Leon being ungrateful.

Donatello pulled angrily on his cock. Why was he reduced to self-gratification, when his mate was just at the end of the hall? He did his best to ignore the toy box, cruelly reminding him how blissful he was not too long ago. He still hit orgasm pretty quickly and he blew his load on the boxers, dampening them in his thick, salty cum as to mark Leonardo by proxy. When it was done, he tossed the boxers in a basket there for that usage, and still jello-boned, he stepped in the shower. He washed carefully, to erase any evidence of the activity and when it was done, he stood thoughtful in front of his wardrobe. Which suit would fit the best today? He wasn’t working but he intended to go to the Nexus Hotel in the evening. He would drive Raph home at the end of his shift and then return there to watch Mikey and Leo. Both were rascals that needed to have the eye of their Big Brother on them. Raph was fine alone at home with the tv and an ice cream pot, Don decided or should he bring Raph with him? Raph had no problem watching Mikey right?

Pulling out a shirt from his wardrobe, Don dressed musing over the situation. Maybe, maybe he should bring Raph with him, for him to show Raphael what Usagi looked like in any case…

With an impatient sigh, Don buttoned his shirt again, after having missed one. He wouldn’t do that. It wasn’t the time for such drastic measures when they were on an undercover mission and Big Maman, a very shady woman behind her cheerful appearance, seemed to appreciate the bartender. Horny like she was, he would bet she bedded the rabbit. But Big Mama wasn’t his main concern, Leo was. At the time his friend disappeared Leo didn’t question it, from what Don knew. Leo had been moody and sighing a lot, from what he remembered. If he had believed that getting rid of that friend would improve Leo’s mood he had been half-right. His brother had kept a certain resentment toward him that would blow up at some random moments. He never made a connection between the missing guy and his brothers at all, believing he had fooled Donatello to the end and that he didn’t know he had that boyfriend, to begin with.

But now, Leo was well aware Don knew about Usagi, since he had the boldness to tease Don with him. Donatello hoped Leo would come back to his senses quick enough; because Leon was playing with fire and it wouldn’t be too long before someone got burned.

As he put on his watch, his phone rang from the bed where Don had put it. Wondering who would call him at 7:00 in the morning, he picked up the device.

He paled before turning livid seeing the message. Something happened at the Nexus Grand Hotel and he had to go to work, as his job as a personal assistant required. He couldn’t even protest it was his day off; Big Maman kindly reminded him that she did say he would do overtime and he had written in his resume that he was used to working 60 hours a week at least. He was expected to be there by 9:00. He had to be there with his movie student girlfriend. At least, he wouldn’t be alone suffering. April would share the burden this day. 

Furious but well aware he was caught, Don ran a hand down his face with a long sigh and finished tying his necktie. He hadn’t had breakfast yet and his whole plan to let Leo come to him, just flew out the window. 

Anyway, if he had to be honest, waiting was already getting old. He glanced at the time as he set the distance on his master bracelet for Leo to not get shocked when Don had to leave. It was still early and Leon went to bed late. His brother would be pissed to be woken up and not at all in the receptive mood Don had hoped he would eventually be. Frustrated, but forced, he walked out of his room. Everyone was still sleeping, he noted, as he slowed down in front of Raph’s door. His brother’s loud snores could be heard and Don was stirred a moment. The day before must have been tiring for Raph, but Mikey did say he looked happy and if Mikey was reliable about anything it was that he cared about Raphael. He never quite understood what they could have fought about the day Mikey decided to run away. Suddenly, he remembered Mikey never returned his money. That little rattlesnake couldn’t have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in three days, with some junk food and the rags he and Leo had called clothes. Oh right, there was that luxurious suite they rented. Mikey had probably used his overdose to slip into Leo’s pants. Even if it was infuriating and also disturbing, Don couldn’t call them off when they knew about his own misdemeanor with prostitutes. This happened before Leo and his deal and also, he had made an exception for Mikey. It wasn’t cheating and so, none of them must be punished but still, Don was determined to get his money back and it pumped his adrenaline enough that after a quick knock at the door for the sake of form, he stepped into Mikey’s room before freezing in his tracks in front of an unexpected display.

Leon was there, sleeping peacefully on Mikey’s bed, their limbs entwined between each other. It wasn’t a lover’s embrace, more of a brotherly cuddle but Donatello’s heart told him that Leo went to Mikey for comfort, not to him, and that even that brotherly love was something Leo wasn’t eager to give him anymore. Leo’s face expressed contentment and well-being, a feeling Don didn’t arise in him at all. Recently Leo was switching between cold and hot. At what point had Don failed, he wondered. He had always given 100% of himself to their family. 

Mikey stirred in his sleep and Don turned his back to leave the room, quietly closing the door. The spectacle of his heartbreak was his alone. He refused to share it, to be made fun of, like usual. Today, he couldn’t gather the strength to bear it. It was probably due to the lack of sleep.

His steps brought him back to his own bedroom and his right drawer. Then he facepalmed remembering he flushed his whole cocaine stock. It reminded him of his dealer aka friend that he had to work with today by chance. He typed a short message to April, telling her he would come to fetch her in thirty minutes and that he would even grant her breakfast in his company. 

As expected, April’s reply was half sarcastic, half enthusiastic. With a smirk, Don wondered again why April was still eager to tag along with them. She must feel really lonely. 

Before leaving the house, he remembered Raph had to work at 11:30 and quickly changed the pictogram for his schedule. Then, he left the house without making a sound, despite the steps he could hear now upstairs. Don was too feeling too raw to deal with his own family today, at least, not sober. 

****  
Mikey had no idea why Don went into his room after the initial fear he would shock Leo in Mikey’s arms. From the slit of his closed eyelids, he had seen Donnie’s face. It wasn’t a face he remembered having seen Don pull ever and it had been weird and also awkward to see how hurt his older brother was. Of course, Mikey wasn’t as naive as Leo to feel sorry for Don. He tightened his hold on Leonardo, inhaling his comforting scent. Mikey had been surprised to see Leo join him in the middle of the night. He was awake because damn the whole street must have been considering how harshly Donatello slammed his door. It was totally unusual for Don to lose his temper. He was the most collected of them all, but Mikey was never fooled by it. Donatello was a nut job, he knew it, Raph knew it but was too afraid to speak it aloud and Leo knew it but was too weak to a good dicking.  


He was actually glad Leo didn’t see Don’s ravaged face. Leo would have been wrapped all around Don,s finger again. Somewhere, he knew Don probably loved Leo the most he could feel and it was the closest to a romantic relationship he would ever live. But despite that good intention, Don was toxic. That Leo sought comfort in his bed, after probably having a fight with Donnie and it showed he was still vulnerable.

Why, why Leo was so drawn to that jerk, he wondered nuzzling the sleeping turtle’s neck. 

Deep down inside of him, Mikey knew that it was as useless for him to hope Leo could change as Leo hoped Donnie would. Those two were like magnet poles, drawn to each other. They could fight, argue, even throw punches or knives, and it would lead to steamy make-up sex, inevitably. Anyway, after what he had witnessed in the last few weeks, Mikey had realized how serious Donatello was about Leo. He could be the worst at expressing it and the least romantic partner ever, but it was very obvious Donnie was into Leo and Donatello was such a tenacious and possessive person, he wouldn’t ever remove himself from the picture by stepping down. There was no way Leo had the luxury of another partner ever. Anyway, he doubted someone could satisfy Leonardo the way Don seemed to. 

It seemed a terrible fate, but why then did Mikey feel so jealous about it? It wasn’t about Leo being with someone else. It was about each of them having found a mate, something Mikey would probably never realize in his lifetime. 

Leo’s breath smelled of alcohol and Mikey disengaged himself slowly. He needed to pee and also, jerk off. He hadn’t had sex for a week and the little appetizer of the night before just awoke his craving for sex again. Don was far too edgy and Leo too for him to dare try and lend a hand to Leonardo. He could be a piece of trash, but he didn’t have a death wish today. 

On his tiptoes, he sneaked to the bathroom across the hall and after he closed the door, he pulled his cock out of his pants. But Mikey could work and work on his erection, his dick struggled to get hard. Culpability was nagging at his mind, reminding him he did drugs yesterday again. If Leo knew it, he would be mad. Thankfully from what Donatello had told him on the phone in that unemotional voice of his, he knew Leo was working in a bar and not on the same floor as him. By how dispassionate Don had sounded one couldn’t believe Don didn’t care at all, but when Don did mention Leo’s coworker, Mikey had felt the heat, despite the icy tone. Poor rabbit guy doesn’t know what’s waiting for him.

Don was likely to make trouble and Leo would have so much to handle, his nose into his own love story, that Mikey would be able to snort South America before Leo noticed a thing. 

And here he was again, playing the selfish bastard.

“Mikey is that you there?” Leo was knocking at the door and Mikey swallowed down an exasperated sigh. “What are you doing?”

It was already there, the worry, creeping into Leonardo’s voice.

Mikey flushed the toilet and put his dick back in his pants. If Leon knew he was horny, he would offer himself and Mikey was done taking pity. He wasn’t even worthy of Leon’s pity after having played behind his back yesterday. 

He opened the door, gazing straight into Leo’s soft, concerned black eyes. So much love for him was shining there and Mikey felt so miserable, knowing Leo was the worried one when Leo was the one supposed to be upset after what must have been an epic fight if Don went as far as slamming a door.

Since when could having someone who cared for you be so painful? 

“I was just taking a piss.” Anyway, it was kind of true. Mikey meant to, just ended doing something else with his cock at some point. “What about you?”

Downstair, they heard a door shutting and Mikey could see something flinch in Leo. 

“Nothing much.”

Would they beat around the bush long? He could tell something important had happened.

“How was your day?” Leo stepped into the bathroom, splashing some cold water in his face before making the tap run to fill a glass of water. “I was very worried about you. Tell me how it went.”

It was so Leonardo to ask questions but not answer them. Mikey couldn’t brush him off; he used the same tactic with Raph yesterday. But Mikey knew better to not answer and so, he started by telling about his evening, obviously omitting what occurred during his break. Leonardo nodded, with a smile on his lips at his tale and Mikey felt so shitty. How could he dare lie by omission in Leo’s face again? He didn’t deserve that smile at all. At the exact minute Leo stepped in the shower, Mikey said he would make coffee when he had in fact Don’s office as a destination. 

He realized how ironic it was; to dare to have cheated and played behind Leo’s back, he needed to use some of Donnie’s stash, and so deceive Leo again. Lately, Don was always geeked up so Mikey was sure to find what he wanted in his office or room. He wasn’t sure if Leo noticed Donnie’s drug use and didn’t care about it. It was very unlikely, Leo was seeing Don through some weird rose-colored glasses. Leonardo would never have believed Donatello was buying cocaine if Mikey didn’t swear it to him and brought back a bag snatched from Don’s pants. That April was his dealer had made the story more credible to Leo since he had always hated her with a passion. When Don got caught red-handed at that motel two weeks ago, he didn’t even get any lecture, from what Mikey knew. Why was Donatello allowed to do whatever the fuck he wanted but he couldn’t?

He was now in Don’s office, his favorite, secret playground when the room was free, something that happened about once in a blue moon. It wasn’t only about getting his hand on some nose candy or “borrowing” some money. Mikey was getting off on desecrating the room, the center point of Don’s universe, the guy who always ignores him. He usually pegged himself on Don’s office chair, stroked his cock and cum on the desk. He loved to wipe himself with some banknotes, and then put them back in the safe, just for the thrill. He knew some therapist would call it daddy issues or a call for attention, but Mikey didn't care about labels since, anyway, he would never get access to any therapist. Donatello wouldn't allow his brothers out of his influence.

But that new job was an opportunity! Mikey's face split in a huge grin. Yesterday had been Raoul's treat, but today Mikey would treat his new friends. 

Donatello was a well-organized man, but like many geniuses before him, he was sometimes kinda distracted with things he couldn’t save in a computer or have his vocal assistant remind him. Outsmarting Don over basic things was easy and in case Don decided to search his room, Mikey loved to hide his own stash in Don’s office. Nothing looked more like a plastic bag than another and so Don's stash wasn’t decreasing. Mikey was sure Don didn’t keep track of such a shameful secret. Mikey knew for sure Don had another stash in his room, but that was more risky. Donatello only slept in there and was less likely to think he could have used all his stock without noticing.

He opened the first drawer and as every time froze a moment in front of the gun. Mikey always thought that a lunatic like Don should have no access to a weapon. Donatello could have excellent self-control, but it would slip eventually, and Mikey sure as fuck didn’t want to be there the day Don lost the last screw holding him together and pulled out his gun. Someone should one day empty the charger from it or something.

Mikey pulled out from the double bottom what he wanted and snuck back out of the room before getting busted. Leonardo needed to have some coffee after tossing and turning part of the night in his bed. 

******

To see Usagi’s kind and smiling face after such a day was comforting. First, he had that confrontation with Donatello. Leo was legit pissed and determined to get Don out of his private life, the fight with his brother was still weighing on his mind. To stay angry the whole day he had thought about Don’s stupid sentence “wanting full intercourse.” Did he think he could win Leo with some booty call? Did he think his bed was so precious, Leonardo would melt just by the prospect of it?

It was indeed true that he had flaws and weak spots. He wasn’t a cold machine like Donatello. Leo just didn’t like to be angry or to fight. He didn’t like to hold a grudge. He loved quiet and warm moments, but also, to have fun. He just wanted to chill and move on with his life, with him and his family being happy. Leon always loved to have smiles around him and get praise and be pet. He wanted to spoil and be spoiled, to feel cherished, but not possessed. But waiting for that from Donatello was like waiting to see pigs fly. Donatello could be skilled for a lot of things, but happiness for others or himself wasn't one of them, despite how good-intentioned sometimes he could be. 

Don could call them soulmates and Leo felt so strongly about Don, accepting to be with Don would only lead to a miserable existence. Of course, Donatello would make sure Leo never lacked for anything, but Don could bury him in designer fur coats and Leo would still shiver in the cold. Loving Don was like getting addicted to that krokodil drug he saw a report about. Users develop significant swelling and pain in the area where the drug is injected. This is followed by skin discoloration and scaling. Eventually, large areas of ulceration occur where the tissue dies. Leo felt the same about his heart, everytime he let Don in, and his brother pulled away, it was like his heart was peeling and he felt a necrosis in him widening. It was time to pull off that band-aid once and for all. That was what he did last night and he didn’t regret a thing. Anyway, Donnie’s absence was even strengthening his will to keep Don away. The guy had been so pissed to have been told no, something he wasn’t used to, that he left without even one of his sacred emails.

Mikey had tried to make him spill what had occurred the whole day. Leonardo had brushed it aside, saying he wasn't upset. He knew that the fact he had joined Mikey in his bed was a give away something was wrong and it was impossible Donnie’s slammed door didn’t wake Mikey up. Indeed, Leo had joined Mikey, to inhale the familiar soothing scent of the brother he knew for the longest time, the one Leo was sure about his unconditional love and support. For once, it was him seeking comfort, but also, strength. Holding on to Mikey was a sure way to resist knocking on Don’s door.

At breakfast, Leo had sidetracked the conversation to Raph, a topic Mikey would stay on. They were both as delighted as Raph for his job in the daycare. Leo decided at some point to drive Raph to work. When he had come back, hoping Mikey got the memo Leo didn’t want to talk about it, his brother had dropped on his knees, to give him a mind-blowing blow-job. Leo wasn’t in a horny mood at all. The fact Mikey was so insistent about it was fishy; he knew Mikey often used a blow-job when he felt guilty about something, like a cheating husband offering roses to his wife. 

When he had tried to question him, he knew Mikey had been indignant that “Leo always suspected him, when Don was treated like he was Snow White.” Leonardo had no idea where mentioning Don came from, but he wasn’t eager to answer any questions. Letting Mikey slurp down his cum was easiest. 

Leo was used to giving so much of himself, that giving his cock or ass didn’t mean anything. He kept nothing precious there. If he could please people so easily, why not? It wasn’t hurting him.

He did tell Mikey about Usagi and Mikey teased him a lot about him, as he had expected. Mikey wasn’t as enthusiastic to speak about his own coworker and that had worried Leonardo. He hoped the guys Mikey worked with weren’t mean to him. Mikey was so small, bullies always picked up on him. He had to tell Don, he thought instinctively before shaking his head. This is how Don had managed to get such a hold on them, by acting like he was indispensable. But Leo could have a stern talk with bullies as good as Donatello. If anything, Leo could be much more scary than Donnie. Don's best assets to intimidate people was to gaze at people coldly to make them feel uneasy under the close observation. It wasn’t like Donnie would wait for them in an alley to kick their asses like Leo could do.

Leo decided to push Donnie’s matter to the back of his mind as he walked toward Usagi. He had looked forward to this moment the whole day. Today, Usagi had explained to him they would work on the cocktail presentation and homemade syrup. The clients for the tea time were about to leave. Leo had arrived earlier than expected in his haste to distract his mind. 

“It’s a pleasant sight to see you in such high spirits, Leo-San,” Usagi greeted him. 

“I was eager to learn,” Leonardo replied, waving a notepad he brought.

Usagi nodded with a gentle smile. 

“Go change,” he said, motioning to the back store. “In the meantime, I will close the place so we won’t be bothered.”

Leo had no idea why, but something leapt in his chest at the statement. He went in the backstore and pulled from the bag the suit he had brought back in a bag, to be sure it wasn’t ruined by some mustard leaking from the hot dog he ate at the stand across the street with Mikey.

When he was dressed, he turned to see himself in the mirror, shaking his peeping out tail. It was indecent, he decided, but well, New York was filled with stripper clubs and the Nexus Grand Hotel had been made in a way for mutants to find anything they could need, Usagi had explained to him. By first-hand knowledge, Leo knew mutants could be horny too, so he guessed it was fair game. Usagi was dressed the same, so Leo had no reason to feel self-conscious, but the fact was his tail was an erogenous zone, when he doubted it was the same for Usagi. Anyway, his new friend had promised him no one would try to grab his ass on his watch, so he should not be worried. Usagi was trustworthy, he disabled the bracelet, something Leo didn't even say to Mikey. His brother would never snitch him, but what if he let slip something?

The next hours had felt like finally finding an oasis after a whole day walking in a desert. They ate and then Usagi showed him his best secrets, making him taste his three most popular cocktails, sharing the same glass.

“Every day, there is a cocktail of the night. Today is this one: Candied Ginger and Pear Bourbon Smash. You have to try it out” He handed Leo the glass, before adding with a seductive smile. “What is amazing about ginger, besides the distinctive taste, is that it is an effective aphrodisiac. This ginger honey simple syrup in this drink is guaranteed to give a little kick to any libido.”

Smirking Leo still took a gulp. He wasn't tipsy but had reached the stage where he didn’t feel embarrassed. 

“You should change the name, then. Candied Ginger and Pear Bourbon Smash isn’t a sexy name.” Leo took a second gulp before giving the glass back. It was about the opening hour and he didn’t want to be unprofessional. 

“Oh.”Usagi put the glass down, looking serious. “You nailed my unique bartender flaw. I have no imagination about names. What would you suggest, then?”

“Sinful flesh. It much more erotic, don’t you think so?”

“Indeed. Sinful flesh it will be, then.”

That quick acceptance made him feel warmth. When he had proposed his idea for the Ramen shop, Don had brushed it away, without really listening. Yes, Don listened to Leo’s plan when they were going on a mission, but those missions were for Don’s business, according to Don’s picked up contract. 

It was now 8:00 pm and the doors opened. It was more crowded than the night before and it took a moment for Leo to notice the slender body that had stepped up to the bar before sliding onto a stool. But when he saw Donnie sitting stiffly behind the counter, his face as disdainful as a duke in a local tavern, Leo flushed with anger.

“What are you doing here!” he hissed in a low voice. “I’m working!”

His eyes didn’t even turn toward him, Don pulled out of his jacket a platinum-colored card.

“For my day of slavery, I was rewarded with this card,” he said, still burning a hole in Usagi. It seemed to interest Usagi because his brown gaze zeroed in on the card, marking surprise. “This is a VIP card, it comes with the privilege of entering everywhere in that hotel and can be used to get every service that I want for free.” His brother’s sharp eyes glanced at him finally. “Don’t worry, I will still tip you,” he dropped disdainfully. “A gin tonic.”

It took all of Leo’s self-restraint to not punch the jerk after such a humiliation. Again, Usagi was about to serve him, but Don icily reminded him that he would only accept it if his brother made it.

“I’m sorry,” Leo uttered through his clenched teeth, while bending to take a bottle. “My brother is such an arrogant prick.”

“Maybe he is, but he seems effective at his job. Very few get the card your brother has and never so quickly.” There was a kind of respect in Usagi’s voice that bristled Leo, but at the same time, he was pleased. It was always a heartwarming thing to hear your brother was exceptional. Don could be a motherfucker, but he was still family.

“We have to serve him. Don’t worry about me,” Usagi continued.

Even if Leo was pissed to no end, he served Don’s drink. He was in a hurry to serve other customers to get away from him and not be tempted to kick Don’s sorry ass out of there, but also, to leave Donnie so close to Usagi was worrying him. What if Don was unpleasant? This is why Leo always drew a line between his social life and Donnie. Who knew how much of a jerk Don could be with people that wanted to befriend Leo? He didn’t want to find out. 

Don ordered a second drink and Leo's patience was already running thin after 30 minutes of being watched. He had to convince Donnie to leave, before Usagi decided Leo didn't deserve the trouble of being friends with. 

“Can I suggest you the evening cocktail?” Leo suggested in his most saccharine voice as Donnie was indeed a customer he wanted to flirt with. “I chose the name.” 

Don didn’t reply staring at him, diving into his soul but Leo boldy endured without a flinch. He combined the bourbon, pear juice, lemon and ginger syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice. 

“It’s an aphrodisiac drink, and so I suggested it should be called Sinful flesh.” Leo grinned, wanting to be sure Don would be so sick of his innuendo and blatant public flirting, he would leave. He vigorously shook the cocktail shaker, but turned his body slightly, so Don could see his tail flapping. He poured the drink in a glass and topped with a bit of ginger ale, before garnishing with a few pieces of crystallized ginger on a skewer as Usagi showed him. “Here, have a sip. It would be the only flesh from me you can taste.” Leo put his whole faculty into making his tail vibrate like he was calling for a mate, making sure to spread some pheromones. He was ready to use any cheap shot to get Don to walk out the door and leave him alone enjoying his new job. 

“It should be called Playing with fire,” Don retorted flatly.

“Oh, I actually prefer that name,” Usagi exclaimed politely and even if Leo knew Usagi was doing it to placate Don, it hurt. “I’m sorry Leo-San, but we can keep it for your own cocktail creation.” 

Usagi suggested Leo stay behind the counter to serve Don exclusively, the Big Shot with the VIP card, and Leo was ashamed to not be of any help for Usagi, his brother just monopolizing him again.

"Aphrodisiac cocktail, ugh?” Don stated stone-faced, but gazing at his drink as if it was poison. “He made you taste it? He did it for you? Don’t you see what he is trying to do? He wants to have sex with you!”

“Well, I hope so. I heard that rabbits are amazing lovers!” Leo deadpanned. 

Don snapped his head up and for a heartbeat his face twisted with pain and anger and a shiver ran through Leo, before he wisely turned his back. He was done being Don’s yo-yo.But to his great annoyance, Donnie stayed pinned to his seat. Leo decided he would ignore him.

“You don’t have your tongue piercing anymore?” Don said out of the blue. It was such a random question and Leo wondered where it came from. Donnie was probably desperate to get his attention.

“Yes, it was bothering me,” he replied coldly, expecting an “I told you so,” from his brother, but Donnie didn’t say anything.

At some point, even if he didn’t drink his second drink, Don ordered a gin tonic, then another and Leo understood that Don intended to stay there until closing, drinking to explain his presence and excuse his stalking. It was hard as hell to focus knowing every one of your moves was being watched. He sliced a strawberry and the knife blade slipped, giving him a little cut. He sucked on the blood droplet with frustration. He was an elite swordsman and bullseye knife thrower and now, he cut himself slicing fruit? How shameful it was! It took the damn cake!

“You are not in a James Bond movie to order so much Gin tonic!” Leonardo snapped. “Now that you aren’t snorting or flushing or whatever you did with cocaine anymore, don’t turn into a lush with the cherry on top in your need to spy on me!”He put down in front of Donatello a cup of tea he had intended to drink for himself to stay awake. “Choke on that!”

He could tell Don was surprised by his outburst, but then a genuine smile stretched across Don’s usually scolding lips. 

“Thank you, Leon,” he said softly. He circled the fragile cup in his hand very carefully, as he was afraid to break it. It was more a Raph’s behavior than Donnie, always overconfident of his skills and abilities. For a moment, it reminded Leo of the child Donatello had been once, who felt so lost in a dirty restaurant kitchen. 

A short silence stretched between them, the sweet jazzy melody from the speaker making it slightly less uncomfortable. 

“I guess you came here straight after having driven Raph home. “ Donnie nodded. Donatello was always an excellent brother to Raph. Leo had noticed Don’s change to Raph’s schedule and had seen the care behind it, but without allowing himself to be stirred by it. “Now, if you love me, you will let me deal with myself alone and check on Mikey. I’m worried for him.”

Leo didn’t mean to use love, but it slipped past his lips. Don gazed at him intently and suddenly stood up, stiff and formal as his usual self.

“Indeed, I’m neglecting my brotherly duties. Raph is at home, but Mikey is plunged into a vice and sinful hole.” He paused a moment, before continuing with a detached voice. “I never considered you as my brother.”

On that cryptic statement, Don turned his back to leave, leaving another $100 banknote that made Leo want to facepalm. Don has such a way to make him feel like a tool or a whore, without even meaning it.

“But I will be back,” Donatello added with intent, his voice soft as a silk scarf one could use to choke.

Silently Don left with a last hard look at Usagi. 


	32. Criminal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDn4WuNQeKM

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art by Hanek (top)  
> Art by Neat Tea (below)
> 
> Here some link to amazing fanart and animation:https://twitter.com/vurok_art/status/1360735345558642691
> 
> and https://twitter.com/rottmntDonSimp/status/1358983323863900161
> 
> Give love to the artists, please! Thanks, Sun for the beta!
> 
> Happy valentine!

_Don's fantasy_

* * *

“So….”April trailed off, after a loud slurp on her milk tea that made Don tsk.”Why are we here?”

They were in the middle of an already crowded Starbucks. In the window some poorly raised kid was staring at Donnie, his nose pressed against the glass. Mutants were still a novelty, it seemed, he huffed, preferring to sip his cappuccino, with an undazed front to the rude observation. It was indeed true that mutants avoided such crowded places during the day, even more, the huge, reptilian ones. The few mutants he had encountered were more often mammals, something more bearable to humans, since they looked more like familiar pets. Sometimes, he missed Professor Leatherhead, well quite often, if he had to be honest. His former homeroom teacher knew the pain it was to be a subject of terror and his rational explanation was making it more supportable. 

As if there was something scary about him. The only thing scary he saw in here was the restroom.

“Did you finally decide to stop hiding that I’m your girlfriend?”April grinned and Don snorted. As if.

“Or, are you here for some love advice?”Her grin grew as she was biting her nails in her excitement and Donatello swallowed back a curse. Shit, she was hitting too close to home he first thought, slightly panicked, before forcing himself to calming down. She was wrong; he wasn’t there at all for that. She watched too many romances on Netflix.

“What makes you think I’m looking for love advice,” Don asked sternly. “Do I give off lovestruck vibes?”

April didn’t reply but looked at him smugly. Don shrugged. It was only April being delusional. 

“If I was seeking something silly as love advice, my first thought would ask someone with experience,” he deadpanned. “I called you because of work. They asked me to fetch you because of your ridiculous lie of being a cinema student. I thought snacking together would be faster than waiting for you to eat.”

He looked down at his yogurt bowl. He hated to eat in public, it was the first act of digestion, a process that always seemed to be too private to be watched by others. 

“Well, I may be more experienced than you think.” She took her chin in hand, chewing on her croissant. “I told you, I did research!”

“Research, yes,” Don scoffed. “Let’s talk about that fifty shades of filth you spoke to me about!” It was true now that he thought of it. April was partly responsible for this debacle with Leonardo but he can’t totally put all the blame on her. By the way she was staring at him, her full attention on him, Don knew he was caught. To scold April about it would admit he did try and follow her advice. “Anyway, I have no need for those pieces of advice. I’m far too busy to keep my mind in the gutter like you or deal with love matters like any average citizen.”

Donatello pulled out his cellphone.

“So, about work…”

“You did tell Big Mama you were with someone. You were even insistent about it.” April’s eyes shone maliciously. “I’m very curious since you let no one in except me and your brothers.”

Of course, how could he have expected April would let him live it down? 

“I’m not letting you in,” he retorted flatly. “You just broke into my life.”

“Then, that leaves your bros.” She wasn’t dropping it damn it and for a brief moment, Don was actually tempted to tell her the truth to get it over with. He knew April wouldn’t judge him at all, and, anyway, he knew he never totally fooled April, but his pride kept his mouth shut. 

“I wonder which one it is?” she mocked, pretending reflection. “If you tell me, I would make sure to mention to him how faithful a lover you have been considering how Big Maman must have tried to seduce you when I wasn’t there.”

As if he would take such obvious bait. Anyway, if she dared to open her mouth too close to Leon, his brother would slice off her head for her trouble. 

“I have no merit,” Donnie spat disdainfully. “I’m used to the aggressive flirting from too horny women.” He glared at her to be sure she caught the drift. “I told her such an evident lie to be sure she doesn’t try to nail me to her bed.” He narrowed his eye before adding with a sneer; “You have no room to judge me, you so-called Spike Lee,”  
  
April took the jab as she took everything; with a smirk.

“Anyway, tell me if one of your brothers needs love advice.” Don wasn’t sure if she was fooled or not. “You may not need them, but they are younger and more lively than you,” she said. “They probably have their minds all around love and sex.”

How April could mention in loud voice sex at frigging 8:00am in a Starbucks was beyond him, but then, he told himself it was probably only tourists. But the mention of love and sex did remind him of Usagi and he circled his coffee take-out cup like it was a neck he could choke. 

The painful scene of last night came back to his mind and it was so overwhelming, Don couldn’t hold it anymore.

“Indeed, Micheal could need some love advice,” he blurted out, using instinctively the brother the more likely to have fantasies. Raph was too content to run after hopeless dreams of romance. “He came to see me about it and I didn’t know what to advise him, because you know, love isn’t my field of expertise.” He couldn’t believe how he could say such a bold lie with a straight face, but years of practice in the art of poker face made it easy. Well, maybe Mikey did have love problems for real. What was totally impossible was that he would seek advice from him. “I’m not interested in that kind of thing! Romance is only good for selling books and movies!”

“Okay.” April slurped down the rest of her milk tea to the last drop making horrible sucking sounds. “So, what is Mikey’s problem?” She put a mocking emphasis on the name, and to show even more she knew it was utter bullshit she even made air quotes with her fingers. “Oh yes, it’s true. I tend to forget he is with your other brother Leon, even if I was there when it happened!” she exclaimed eagerly. “Such a lovely couple.”

Don squared his jaws. He so hated when April called Leonardo Leon on purpose. She knew it rubbed him the wrong way. To remind him how he got forced into that agreement made it tenfold worse.

“You may not be aware of it, because you aren’t family,” he insisted. By his tone, he hoped it was clear he considered April overstepped boundaries. “But Micheal confessed to me that the whole story was a mere prank. You know, he is such a youngster.” Don waved his hand dismissively. “They aren’t together at all. It would be so sick. You heard about incest, right?” 

He glowered at her and she supported it without a flinch to Donnie’s great annoyance. “There’s no way Micheal meant him when he came to talk to me. Leave Leonardo out of it!” he added with a hint of unnecessary temper.

“Please.” April rolled her eyes with a derisive snort. “Are you such a motherfucking possessive bastard that you can’t even tolerate including your bro Leo in your made-up bullshit story?”

Donatello ignored the question.

“About Micheal,” he continued icily, as if April didn’t interrupt him. Then, he stopped himself. What did he want to know? He didn’t even know how to tell the story, having no idea when it went downhill. It was maybe the Champagne night? Yes, Leo definitively turned provocative and rebellious after that night.

“A few years ago, he had sex with his crush,” he started, but he stopped when he saw April’s raising a curious eyebrow. He understood his mistake quickly. Mikey was 18 years old and so maybe she thought he had been too young “a few years ago”! He turns nineteen in seven weeks! And it was only three and a half years ago. He was 15 years old! It is perfectly normal! We can’t all be an old maid like you!”

He knew he finally reached her by the pout she made. It gave him the courage to continue.

“It wasn’t planned, it was a spur of the moment move...You know Mikey, right? He is very instinctive. He was also a little tipsy. Leon gave him that vice, even if it wasn’t Leon with him there at all.” He felt the cloud of suspicion surrounding him fading slightly at this. “The fact was that his partner didn’t resist at all. It was the opposite, he was eager.” Oh yes, Leo had been so keen to spread his legs and kiss him. Don fidgeted imperceptibly on his chair. He could still feel the heat from his brother’s body.

“It was consensual and enjoyable sex,” Don insisted in a low voice. He was damn sure Leonardo enjoyed the sex with him a lot. He had been so wet every time, Don had slid into the welcoming heat in one smooth mention. Just thinking of it was making his cock twitch in his pants. “But the next day Mikey felt self-conscious and worried he had made a mistake. So, he decided to back off a little,” he said, trying to revive his feelings of the time. “If his crush was into him, he would understand he needed space and wait faithfully for the best moment, right?”

Indeed, maybe Leo had been a little confused about Don’s reaction, but it was because the custom Cartier watch took a few days more than he supposed it would. He had intended to give it to Leon sooner. To give such a fine piece of jewelry must have made his intention very clear, no? He even had it engraved! Don never gave such a personal and expensive gift to Mikey and Raph, to no one, in fact. It meant Leo was special to him as was the moment they had shared together. And that jerk didn’t even wear it anymore like it was meaningless! 

“Are you kidding me?” April asked flatly. Don just blinked, not quite following her shock.

"You told me they fucked and then Mikey gave him the silent treatment for three and a half years?” April almost roared at the word half. “I didn’t know Mikey had that much jerk in him. He must take it from you.”

“It’s exaggerated to call it the silent treatment,” Don protested. “He did speak to him and sent him many emails!” He quickly shut himself up; the word emails could give him away.

April shook her head and sighed, but there was a maliciousness in the gleam of her eyes.

“It's too bad this isn’t about you and Leo. I would know better what to say since I know more about your characters,” she said in a taunting manner.

“You know nothing about Leon, or me, for that matter. Anyway, we are wasting our time.” Why did he try to speak with her? 

“If Mikey wants to win him over, he has to prove to his crush that he isn’t a casual fling.”That statement brought Don’s full attention back to April. “Mikey’s lover needs to be reassured he won’t be ditched the moment Mikey empties his balls.” April declared and Don wondered a moment if that was what Leo felt. But that didn’t make any sense. Don knew Leo knew he had the hots for him. Leo teased him restlessly about it in the last year. Anyway, it wasn't like Don truly neglected Leon. Damn, that son of a bitch was nagging at his mind day and night. Donatello always made a big deal to show how much he cared for them and he spoiled Leonardo rotten with lavish presents. He just gave Leo some space until it was the right time. How could Leo have thought Don wasn’t serious about him? Leon knew him better than that! Donatello was always serious.

"I'm sure Mikey's crush knew he wasn't a one-night stand," Donnie stated, emphasizing Mikey’s name to be sure April didn't forget it was about Mikey and not him. "Anyway, since then, he has been more outspoken. Mikey has explained what kind of relationship he expects with him, a very serious one.” He was still incensed thinking about it. “But after having accepted the commitment, Mikey's lover changed his damn mind again."

He balled his fist, regretting the damn having passed his lips. He should not look emotional for something about Mikey and his unknown lover.

Speaking about himself wasn’t something he had the opportunity to do quite often. 

April took on a thoughtful expression and Don refused to feel expectant. It was April he was talking with, April who could be smart but was a total weirdo who was failing her own life. How could she advise him with something sensible?

"As I said, I don’t know Mikey enough.” She gazed earnestly at him. “May I advise you as if it was yourself?"

With a probably visible reluctance, Don nodded, after a quick glance at his cellphone. They still had ten minutes in front of them. 

"In a relationship where one of the partners needs to display dominance, that dominance must not be too obvious out of the bedroom. They need to be spoiled but not belittled.” April was speaking with the dull, but confident tone of a voice-over on Discovery Channel. “They need to see they are precious, but not enslaved. This is why I suggested you the dom and sub roleplay; to unleash your dark side in bed and to let your brothers breathe during the remaining time.” She did think of herself as his therapist or some BDSM scholar and if Don wasn’t in such a gloomy mood, he would maybe crack a smile at her pretension. “Do you know what subspace is?” she asked in the lowest voice, like she was giving intel about who shot Kennedy or something.

Don stayed silent, but to not show his trouble he reached for his cappuccino. That name was vaguely familiar. 

“It’s a state where the sub is accepting and gives up complete control to the Dom,” April explained, her excitement piercing through her voice, despite her attempt to look cool. “A sensation where they feel like their body is floating and euphoric. But without aftercare and praises, the relationship isn’t trust-based. The Sub may turn tense, anxious, and disoriented and it could even lead to mental illness.”

For a brief moment, Donatello was gaping and wondering if that was what was currently happening, with Leo’s quick change of mood. Then, he told himself it was ridiculous; he did give aftercare. If anything, Leon was the one refusing his cares.

“A collar is classically seen as proof of being an official partner, but it doesn’t have to be a collar,” April continued. “Anything kinda similar to your bracelet can do if both partners recognize it as a piece of commitment evidence. I said, both," she emphasized. “You could…”

"You sound like those filthy so-called omega verse mangas Mikey read when he was 12 years old and that I had seized and burned as trash must be." Donatello crossed his long, gloved hands. Now, he remembered where he had encountered that word. When he was a teen, Mikey loved to fill his mind with rubbish books. Leonardo knew it and he wasn’t doing a damn thing, always protesting that they couldn’t control Mikey in every aspect. Don remembered well that fight they had. He told Leo: “Just watch me,” before throwing the books in the oven and giving a stern lecture to Mikey. He offered his own books to Mikey, educational books, good for the spirit and the morals like War and Peace. Mikey never made the effort to even try to read them! The bitter memory was like a splash of cold water. 

"I bet your sudden knowledge about metaphorical pop culture phenomena like subspace and such is from a similar valuable source, he snickered. "I guess I should be flattered you see me as an alpha. But call who I think you mean an omega and you will end up in the freezer like that customer, for stuffing dumplings." Don warned, serious as hell. He knew she meant Leo as his partner, she always does. She wasn’t able to drop it, making up a scenario in that crazy, horny imagination of hers. Of course, she was right, but there was no way he would tell her that. Again, he thought he could walk with her to the restroom stall and fuck her brain out to wipe the fantasies out of her mind. But he wouldn’t do that. Not only because the restrooms were dirty, but because he had vowed exclusivity to Leonardo and he always kept his word. “You are too entertainment deprived, April,” he spat.

But April brushed the threat away.

"My point stands: Forcing a security device on your lover is a big no. He must accept it willingly. Anyway, it wasn’t even for any kinky game!” She made it sound like if Don was a pervy bastard, it would have been okay. Don did it for Leonardo’s safety, period. Why were people making such a big deal out of it? It was getting old!

“You only put it on out of jealousy!”April folded her arms and she dared to glare at him. “If you were sweeter to Leo, tender, more loving, he wouldn't even think to cheat on you, anyway. He would wait in your king-size bed with his legs spread and a diamond as big as your ego shoved up his ass."

He slammed his hand on the table, not too harshly, but enough to shut her up.  
  
"This is about Micheal. Not Leon, or I." Don tightened his jaws so hard, he almost could feel his teeth shatter. It was either that or bare his teeth. Since his canines were prominent and sharp, they tended to scare people off and that was another reason he always kept his features relaxed into a neutral, polite mask. 

To choke down any animal DNA he has. He could hate humans, he didn't want to look like a beast either.

"Anyway, let move." He stood up, scanning around disdainfully. For one thing, April was right; he was so possessive, he couldn’t support that someone out of their family spoke so casually of Leonardo. Without meaning it, she just reminded him that Leo refused his so-called king-size bed.

Why did he have breakfast with her, anyway?

He remembered the reason, about his stock needing a renewal, but suddenly, he decided April was far too much involved in his life. She sneaked her way in to get hired with them, and she managed to draw from him the permission to listen to his brothers’ complaints. She already suspected his feelings for Leonardo and it probably wouldn’t be much longer before she would notice that those feelings weren’t reciprocal. His heart tightened in his chest, it couldn’t be. Leo and him had always been meant to be together. There was no way Leo didn’t feel the same.

April followed him to the car, for once smart enough to stay silent. Despite the fact that he knew he should know better than to ponder over April’s words, he mused over them. Did Leo feel he wasn’t loving enough? Indeed, he wasn’t loving exactly, because as he had tried to explain to him, it wasn’t the time to be lovey-dovey. They hadn’t reached the safe, wealthy, unreachable state he wanted for them. Anyway, Leon must know it wasn’t in Don’s character to show off with exaggerated displays of affection. What was he expecting? Flowers? Serenade? 

The fact was also, all these past years, Don had tried to repress his feelings and desires, and so, maybe that was why Leo didn’t think Donnie was serious about him. But he did tell him in the bathroom? Did Leo think he could lie?

“I don’t know how turtles are during sex, because you are very stubborn to not show me,”April said, kicking him out of his thoughts. Somehow, they had made it to the hotel. Well, one block from it. Don wasn't an idiot enough to park his luxurious car in front of it. “I get that your bro has a nice ass to bang,” she continued, not at all ashamed by what she implied. “But you have to show him he isn’t just a hot bootie to fuck, when you need to scratch an itch.”

Don got out of the car, as if she didn’t speak, but he couldn’t totally dismiss the words. It was hard to not ask her for more detail about what he should do, but he knew she was only fishing, trying to lure him into confessing and he would not. If he did tell her about how soul crushed he was feeling right now and how deeply he felt for Leonardo, she would restlessly poke into the wound, just for fun.   
“I heard that Big Mama’s last personal assistant was her deceased husband. I heard she has been married four times! Maybe she is looking for a fifth?” April said in a low voice as they were walking toward the hotel. 

“She has no children. Maybe her biological clock is ticking and she’s got a crush on your dominant genes. Don’t you want to have kids?”

“No.”The answer came fast and without emotion. 

“Leo is intersex, right? You could have kids with him?”

The declaration was so unexpected and completely ridiculous, Don looked at her shocked.

“No. He is not. He is male,” he said, very assertive. Leonardo was cute when he was a child and so humans misgendered him, but since Leo left the orphanage and the dresses and other girl outfits they put on him, it had been very obvious he was a boy and no one made any more false affirmations. Leonardo wasn’t even non-binary, he saw himself as male, Don was positive. Mikey’s sexuality was more nebulous. He was attracted to other men, and loved to cross-dress. Leo let him develop that habit, saying there was no harm in it, since his caretaker did the same. They had a few fights about this, Leo saying Don was too controlling. How could it be too controlling to want Mikey wearing normal clothes when he was out of his room? It was already good enough Don didn’t burn all those Anime girl outfits Mikey had like he did with the mangas.

No, he didn’t want any kids he had to fight about. Mikey was enough.

“Do you know that by first-hand knowledge?” she joked, before changing her tone, probably having seen how Don turned livid. “You always treat him like a girl, no?”

Donatello answered with a glare.

“Anyway, you’ll see how much I get to know in a few hours? You will love my Spike Lee ass soon with all the intel I can gather for you.”

They still had five minutes and Donatello plucked a cigarette from his case. 

“Indeed, your lie could be useful, but I don’t want to owe you anything,” he dropped flatly. “You are not part of my plan as thick-headed as you are.”

“Why?” she asked, tipping her head on the side. “Because you prefer to owe it to your precious Leon? Or do you want to be alone doing the job, to impress him?”

Don’s body moved on its own and the next thing he knew, he slammed April’s body on the brick wall, snarling in her face.

“I told you not to call him that!” he growled. “And if you know what it's good for you, you will stop meddling in my business with him right now.”

Her face expressed many mixed feelings, but it was mostly bliss and arousal that showed. She was making the face of a cat that just ate the canary, the kind of face Leon had when he made him lose his temper. Don had no idea what he looked like when he was so riled up, but it seemed to do the trick on teases like Leonardo and April. But what made him feel fuzzy with Leo left him totally cold and slightly annoyed with April. 

He released his hold, and apologized sternly for his lack of control. She giggled nervously telling him it had been hot. 

At this point, Don again considered telling the truth. He could be proud, maybe he looked like a dumbass with his denials. Maybe April would not make fun of them. Maybe she would only masturbate in her room at night, picturing Don and Leo going at it. It pissed him off to no end, to be featured in the fantasies of someone he didn’t fancy at all, but at this point, April was probably already doing it. But if he told her, he would have to say aloud that Leo had rejected him, something that he could not do. Admitting that would make it more real and Donatello had decided it was only a phase Leo was going through. 

So he shut up and in silence they entered the hotel together and climbed to Big Mama’s office. 

“My lovely employees!” she exclaimed and Don tried hard to not flinch at the “employee” word. She was wearing a dress with an outrageously low neckline and, again, Don couldn’t believe that such a frivolous woman was at the end of the Hotel. Her arms were stretched in a very warm welcoming way, toward Don explicitly and a shiver ran down his spine. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t even know how he could get it up for women. Having sex with Leo sober turned him into a gay, monogamous turtle and he hated that change. It wasn't because he wanted to be attracted to others, but only lusting for Leon was making him weak, dependent, and he hated it. The hurtful words Leo spat at him saying Don was the only one that needed them was still haunting his mind. 

“I have a very important mission for both of you today.” She grinned. “You will be my happiness messengers for my other lovely employees!”

Don shared a puzzled look and he got the chills when Big Mama circled both of them in her arms. He managed to stay stone-faced during the embrace but April finally showed signs of agitation. 

She explained eagerly her plan and the more she talked, the more Don’s uneasiness grew. She wanted Donatello to go see every damn hotel employee and ask about their global satisfaction toward their Boss. Then, he had to ask a sample of 75 clients for the same purpose, but with different questions. He also had to officially invite them to the Holiday celebrations and take their suggestion for the events.

It was such a downfall, and also a waste of time, Don could believe he left his bed for this. He so hated to deal with real-life people. They were less of a bother and an eyesore thought a screen.

Then, Donatello had to collect the data and present to her the results with suggestions to improve the overall satisfaction of the employees and the clientele experience by Monday morning. Why did she think that Don was suited to work with human resources, he had no idea. It was still better than bringing up her coffee or-god-forbid-rubbing her feet. That she wanted to improve the satisfaction of her clientele was something Don could understand. The more the clients were happy, the more often they came back and the more cash they spent, so it made sense. Profits always do for him. But the satisfaction of the employees wasn’t that important and Don didn’t even have to ask them to know what they would answer; higher wages and paid days off and so, the profits will decrease. But he wasn’t there to reason with that woman; if she wanted to drive her business into bankruptcy it was her problem. Don was only involved in it for a few weeks.

When she was done, after many pointless details and turns, and adding that in the meanwhile April could decide who would figure in her documentary, Don was engrossed in the study of his cuff link. He needed new ones; the onyx black didn’t stand out nicely on a grey shirt. Leon told him once that grey wasn’t his color. 

“Have you ever heard of Google forms,” he finally said disdainfully when Big Maman stopped talking. “It would be quicker and more efficiently done than if I had to wander by halls and floors. I only have to send the form to your employees email and another one to your clients from the last six months.” Indeed, it would all be wrapped up in less than one hour and he wouldn’t have to bear with April. 

Big Mama kept her grin, but Don felt something forced in it, probably like the smile he had himself sometimes.

“I think face to face is better to collect more sincere answers. It also makes the employees feel more listened to.” She took on her thoughtful expression. “But indeed, for future communication, I admit it could be wise to collect their email address.”

Don’s heart missed a beat.

“Do you mean you don’t gather either your employees email, or your clients?” he asked incredulously. He wasn’t even able to keep an undazed front. His businessman mind was too blown away by that careless attitude. 

“Indeed, why would I?” Big Mama waved her hand to dismiss them. “But if you manage to do this task and gather these emails, I will reward you!” She made a flirty face and it took all Donnie’s self-restraint to not purse his lips with distaste.

“I have no need for any type of reward beyond my salary,” he replied sternly. Bedding her wasn’t a reward anyway. Knowing she could morph into a huge spider did not get his motor running. Anyway, even if it was peanuts for him, he had to admit his salary was decent. He had fought more for his brothers than for himself, but he did research the day before. Personal assistant was a very vague name, but from what he saw online, he was paid more than twice the average. If he was some random, ordinary mutant he could have called himself lucky. 

“Wait, you don’t know what it is.” She pulled out of her cleavage a platinum-colored card. “This is the Nexus VIP card. It gives you exclusive and free access to every service and facility in the hotel, and,” she raised her finger like she was making a very important point, “your own penthouse suite!”

While she was raving about the facility of the penthouse, Donatello was in deep reflection. His first instinct was to turn her down flat by telling her he didn’t need the card, but in addition, he had to remain polite to her to keep his job, and he realized it could justify his presence at the Hotel out of his working hours, with that card. He could eat there, watch Raph, play casino to keep an eye on Mikey, and more important than all, order drinks at the White Rabbit to protect what was his. Of course, it was all that he would do anyway, but his brothers always mocked Don for what they called stinginess when it was only about saving money. That he could use the card to save money made sense. To have his own suite could have advantages too. Leonardo and he couldn’t have any intimacy at their home.

“What do you mean by exclusive service,” he asked, but with a neutral tone to not show his interest too early. 

“You will be served as if you were royalty,” she assured and Don pictured Usagi forced to welcome him with a smile. Don could be rude, admitting he went that far, he couldn’t be kicked out from the White Rabbit. The Grand Nexus Hotel has 545 mutant employees without counting his own brothers and April. With the 75 customers, it would take him the whole day and maybe even more, if April slowed him down. But it would be worth it; anyway, it was only about asking a few questions. By taking one minute by person, plus the time to go from one floor to another in that huge building… it was impossible.

“I hope you have a list with the names of your employees,” he asked, his smile strained by the efforts.

She handed a bin folder to him and he snatched it. 

“I’m so trusting you, I will even give you that card right now.” She cast on him a bright smile, but Don perceived the danger; it was a test. “It could help you to do your work and want to keep it.”

  
He took the platinum card, sliding it in his pocket.

“I’m on it.”

The moment the thick wooden door shut behind them, Donatello turned toward April.

“I have no time for you to slow me down,” Don explained, with a clipped tone. “Female mutants are fewer than male but are more chatty. I have no time, so I will send you an email with the questions to ask to every female mutant you meet. You will record their answer with your phone. Today, it’s only about collecting the data. Tomorrow, I will organize them.” He couldn’t believe he had such a low job to do. He so regretted his business of vengeance. To send Raph busting kneecaps was definitely more rewarding.

“Why is that card so important to you?” she asked. “Don’t deny it’s not important. I saw the face you were making. You can’t fool me. I’ve studied you for ages.”

Donatello didn’t reply, busy typing on his phone while walking with great strides.

“If you want my help, you have to admit it!” April said in sing-song, very aware she finally had the opportunity she’d been looking for, for years, to blackmail him.

“Fine!”Donatello snapped his head toward her, glowering. “I fucked him.” He wasn’t ready yet to say aloud the word love. He couldn’t wrap his mind around the whole thing and he couldn’t admit having feelings for someone he wasn't sure felt the same at the moment. He didn’t even explain who was him. He knew she knew. “And if I want it to happen again, I need to succeed in this mission. The first step is to deserve that card.” He didn’t tell April why exactly he wanted the card. He admitted he was an incestuous bastard and April didn’t care for the rest.

“See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?” she said, waving her hand before starting on the mission Don entrusted her with. 

***  
In the car, Mikey tried not to be too fidgety. He knew Leo’s Mom radar had been triggered. The blow job had seemed highly suspicious to Leo. Mikey had felt how Leonardo wasn’t eager to be touched; but he couldn’t help it. The minute Leo left to drive Raph to work, Mikey snorted two lines, keeping the rest for his new friends he hoped to make. Culpability stabbed him full in his heart when he heard Leo coming back. 

Leonardo had always tried to be understanding. Mikey knew Leo had even tried more to balance how strict Donatello was. Since Mikey found rolling paper in his pants, Leo had been forced to accept him smoking weed. Mikey wasn’t dumb, he knew it had been a very short phase in Leo’s past life, when Don couldn’t breath down his neck 24/7. It had lasted a few months, tops. But Mikey had used that excuse to be sure Leo couldn’t tell him off. He had used Don’s hard drug use to justify his. Leo had fought him a lot, but fooling Leonardo was easy. Leo was always ready to forgive, to have faith, to give one too many chances. Mikey knew that after witnessing how easily Leo forgave Don’s behavior. Leonardo still tried to give him limits, to keep control, but he was easily overwhelmed by guilt to have left Don and made his family so unhappy, that Mikey didn’t know how to cope with alienation other than with drugs.

The fact he knew he was emotionally manipulating his brother didn’t make Mikey feel any better, the opposite in fact. So, this is why he had fallen on his knees, trying desperately to at least make Leo feel good with his mouth, to compensate for him being a lying asshole. The fact Leo let him be, but wasn’t turned on the slightest had only made his angst worse. It also made him angry with his brother. Why Leo wasn’t more assertive about his own desires? Leonardo always tried to please, but always forgot himself in the process. The most maddening part was that Mikey knew that if Leo really decided to fight Don and not drop it, it was very likely Donatello would end up doing what Leo wanted. But it was like Leo still thought Don knew the best and was more suited to make the decisions. Leo could lead just fine; and he bet Donnie knew, but refused to let Leo realize it, by not cutting him any slack. 

It was probably because behind his icy front, Don was a terrorized child that feared abandonment, Mikey mused. If Leo started to realize Don was a hindrance, he would kick him out. Don had been so insistent that humans were dangerous, about how outside of their house the environment was hostile, Mikey supposed Donatello truly believed so. Then, it was easy to guess Don dreaded to live outside of their family, after having been the undisputed king of it.

That Leo was the only one with power over the situation, but was too accommodating in his character to really step up was driving him crazy. Often, despite that he truly loved Leo, he kind of wanted to leave with Raph. Anyway, Don could deeply care for Raph, he was far too busy chasing down the true object of his attention to miss them. 

Raph and he were only extras on the movie set of their lives, shit.

Leo could care, he had too much shit going on in his own life to be very effective at it. Anyway, he couldn’t give Mikey what he truly wanted, just a pale copy of it. When he was too young to fight, Leonardo was robbed of his soul the exact moment they stepped into the Ramen shop. Mikey was a baby and his memory was very blurry, but Leo told him many times about how Don worked hard and killed all those bugs for them. If stomping on a few cockroaches was the way to Leo’s heart, Mikey would have done it. Raph did too, but at the time he was already such a puppet that his good deeds were put on Donnie’s account.

He so hated his life.

“You are eerily silent, Mikey,”Leo said, parking his car just behind Donnie's. “What’s wrong? Did someone say hurtful things to you at your job?”

Such a lovely, nice, naive older brother Leo was.

“No.”Mikey knew that to lie he had to tell some truth, but not insisting too much. “There's a lot to learn and I was too busy trying to remember what I was told to really have time to get to know the guys. They seem nice. It’s kinda rough to stay standing up for so long. I’m not used to eight hours shifts. The break time was good to take. And you know, I left early because Raph came in, with puke all over his suit.”

“Right.” Leo didn’t seem at all convinced. “Don’t forget, if they are mean to you, you must tell your big brothers.,” he said seriously. “Maybe not Raph, because we don't need him going all berserk over these people. But you can tell me.”

As if. Mikey would never endanger Leo’s life again by involving him in his shit. If he had troubles, he was sure as fuck leaving Leo out of it. 

“I can deal with them. I’m not a teen anymore,” Leo snapped all of sudden like he was reading Mikey’s mind. Indeed, Mikey knew Leo was now a deadly opponent, but he preferred to have Leo safe than himself sorry. “Or, you can tell Donatello.” Leo’s voice was thick with something hard to define. “Donatello has flaws, like everybody else, but he does care about his family. You can protest he doesn’t love you, he does, just in that weird way of his.” Leo made an instinctive grimace. “And even if I’m not that understanding of his way of thinking, I can assure you he wouldn’t allow someone to mess with us.” Leo seemed to feel like he wanted to speak of Donnie, without actually saying what was weighing on his mind and it pissed Mikey off to no end. 

“He will stare at them with that intensely cold gaze and if they continue, he’ll sic Raph on them.”

“Raph isn’t a fucking doberman!”

Mikey bit his lips. Now, Leo would know Mikey was upset and that his carefree attitude of that morning was only a facade. 

“I know that,” Leo said softly and Mikey wondered if Leo used Raph on purpose to make him lose it. “Please, tell me if something or someone is bothering you.”

Leonardo stretched out his hand to stroke his cheek and Mikey felt like bursting into tears.

“I told Donnie I wanted him to move out after the mission,” Leo finally blurted out and Mikey glanced up, shocked. If that was what Leo told him last night, no wonder Donnie slammed his door after years working to build them a safe home. Mikey was very much in agreement with Leo about Don being such a controlling jerk, but he had seen Donnie’s face earlier and Mikey was too sensitive to not for a brief moment feel truly sorry for Don. Donatello’s meaning in life was his family. No one doubted his intentions, he really wanted them safe and happy, but his hold was so tight, he didn’t realize he was strangling them. 

“I doubt he would,” Mikey said.

“I know.” Leo sighed. “But I can’t live like this anymore. And I want you and Raph happy...I was thinking…”Leo paused a moment. “We need Raph’s support.”

“Raph?”Mikey knew where Leo was leading, but wasn’t sure he fully approved of the idea. “You can’t ask Raph to pick a side, or stand up against Donnie. You know the stress would kill him!” Mikey exclaimed.

“Exactly! This is not normal!” Leonardo was now flared up, something that was happening more and more often. “Why is Raph so scared of Don? Donnie is always so soft and caring with him!”

“Don’t you dare play at being jealous of poor Raph?” Mikey asked with an indignant disbelief. “We all know that if the shop was on fire and Don could only save one of us, it would be you! His whole world revolves around you!” he shouted, furious.

“Then why is he hurting me so much?”

There was so much distress and pain in Leo’s voice and eyes, Mikey’s anger melted.

He wanted to say to Leo that Don loved him, but it was such a strong feeling and a feeling he had no idea what to do with, except to give into his desire once a year. Don had always tried to be cooly neutral with everything, like he was afraid he would break apart if he was laughing or crying or yelling through an orgasm. Leo knew that and Mikey wondered what he expected. At that point, perhaps Leo was finally not expecting anything?

“Talk to me about the guy working with you.” Mikey didn’t want to rub any salt into Leo’s raw wounds. “You need a boyfriend.”

“You always see a boyfriend everywhere, Mikey!”Leo said, scolding but the relief as they switched the topic was obvious on his expressive face. 

Leo talked about the guy he worked with as they left the car. It was obvious from how Leo spoke, he wanted to get closer to the guy. Not closer like having sex, but closer like being friends and having a friend wasn’t a luxury Don was willing to allow Leonardo. They both knew it, but refused to acknowledge the elephant in the room.

Mikey was actually relieved from the tense atmosphere when he stepped in the casino. It was still early, but like him, Leo was in a hurry to breathe the fresh air outside of their family.

Raoul was there already and he welcomed him with a smile.

“Good thing you came early. I have the Turkish baths to show you and I want to introduce you to someone.” 

In the elevator Raoul told Mikey to let him do the talking. The Turkish baths were only for the VIP clientele and silver-grade staff, as he introduced a silver card into a slot.

“What is silver-grade staff?”Mikey asked, as the door opened to the basement level.

“There are four categories of staff: bronze, silver, gold and platinum. The more Big Maman likes you the more you have access to facilities.This is why you are very lucky to know me.” 

Mikey wondered what they were doing there. He did remember Raoul told him about drug dealing there, but Mikey wasn’t feeling tempted to go deeper into his problem right now. He had already enough on him to vacuum his mind with his new friend.

A kind of lobster mutant greeted them, his globulous eyes studying Mikey with suspicion. 

“He is very cool,”Raoul assured and they decided to grant him a tour. 

The Turkish baths were separated into the actual baths, with a pool and a cool room. The cool room was decorated in a mix of Moorish style. The walls were adorned with glossy blue-green tiles, richly carved teak, and bronze lamps. Against one wall was a marble drinking fountain. The ceiling was deeply recessed and painted a deep crimson, with gilded beams and hanging lanterns, supported by pillars encased in teak. The doorways were adorned with gilded semi-domes to lend an exotic effect. Throughout the room were teak folding chairs, Damascus tables and cushioned chaise lounges for relaxation. There were also small curtained cubicles for changing or that was what Mikey supposed. It was lavish and pretty cool and all, but he understood something was off when he heard grunting and moaning noises and smelt smoke.

“There’s other rooms,” the tenant explained and when he pulled back the curtain, Mikey understood the place was also an opium den and kinda a place to fuck.

In the middle of the room there was a cute squirrel mutant, well they would be cute if they weren’t so skinny. It was hard to tell the gender, but they were being pounded into the mat. The squirrel didn’t mind the hard treatment and was moaning with more wanton than even Leo did with Don. 

“She is on Drax,”Raoul whispered. “I never tried it out, but I know the user gets horny all the time because sex feels incredibly good. They only think about being fucked as if they would die if they didn’t get any. They even forget to eat because they want to get high and be fucked all the time. I always start my day of work with a good dicking or a blow job. Blow jobs from Drax junkies are the best.”

The squired glanced up and wailed, a primal call to be bred even more and Raoul pulled out his cock.

“You have to try it out,”Raoul told him. “It alleviates the stress of work.”

“What? The Drax?” Mikey asked. That squirrel was a mess, but somewhat he couldn’t peel his eyes off of it. It must be kinda nice to only crave dick and get served, but another side of Mikey was feeling deeply sad.

“No, the blow job dufus.” 

Mikey didn’t feel horny at all. He felt like crawling his way upstairs and hugging Leo.

“Shit!” the lobster exclaimed, in a low voice. “A platinum card holder is coming. Everyone stay hidden and shut up.”

The Pipes were extinguished and the squirrel was dragged in another room. Mikey didn’t understand what the big deal was until he recognized Donatello’s coldly polite voice. His heart raced in his chest. If he was found there, he would be in deep shit.

“I’m here for a quick satisfaction survey,”Don said. As he was enumerating weird questions, and the bath manager was kissing his ass, he could feel by Don’s voice, as unemotional as it was, that he was studying the place. “What is behind those curtains,” he suddenly asked and Mikey froze in fear.

“Stress relief for outstanding people like you,” the lobster buttered up and Mikey bit his lips in annoyance, forgetting briefly how scared he was. Why people always worshipped Don or pretended to was crawling under his skin.

“I have no use of relaxants or prostitutes.” Don’s voice was sharp and Mikey told himself Donnie had seemed not so disgusted by prostitutes not too long ago. Was it because he only loved human ones? “Does your stress relief include something enhancing performance and dimming emotional response?” Donatello continued, as if he was inquiring about the weather and Mikey turned very attentive. He was torn between jubilation to see the mighty Donatello showing weakness but at the same time, sorry for him.

Why was he so insistent about being a machine?

“Of course, we have everything you could need.”

Mikey waited in vain for Don’s answer, it never came. The next thing he knew the curtain was pulled back. 

Mikey rushed to the exit.

***  
It was past 8:00 and Don was now at the daycare, sternly asking the polar bear the same questions he already asked more than 400 times.

“On a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the best, how would you describe your employee satisfaction at the Nexus Grand Hotel?”  
“Some girl asked me the same question earlier,” the bear said and Don facepalmed. Of course, she was a female. At least, he was reassured April did the job right, but it was indeed April’s strong point to be reliable with work. At school, when they had to, unfortunately, team up, she never disappointed him with a sloppy paper. 

But that also meant he was done with his work, having asked every single person he had to, except for Usagi.

He had kept him for the end. 

“It’s time for Raph’s shift to end, right?” He motioned to his older brother covered by kids; two were trying to climb on his leg and one on his shell. Don held back a shiver seeing their toothless mouths nibbling at Raph’s calves. 

Raphael glanced at him, as shy as it was the first time he saw Donnie, period. It tickled Don in a bad way. Why was Raph still acting like a beating up child?

“I came for you, Raph. To bring you home,” he said with emphasis on the word home. Was Raph having a regression episode because of the toddlers? Did he remember the bad treatment he got there? “You seem to do a good job here. I’m proud of you.”

Raph flushed hard like every time he was praised by Donnie and Don smiled at him with indulgence. Raph was probably just worried he did something wrong. It was Don’s duty to soothe his anxieties.

“Red did a good job, right?” he looked at the other caregiver who nodded earnestly. “Good boy deserves a reward. What about ice cream?”

Raphael nodded but with more resignation than eagerness and Don felt annoyed, but he refused to show it. Raph was sometimes edgier.

He circled his shell with his arms and gently led Raph out of the hotel. Raph could drive just right, but he never did alone and his brothers all agreed it was better if someone was with him. Since both Mikey and Leo were both working, it fell on him. If Raph didn’t feel like an ice cream that was fine by Don. He would be back at the hotel earlier. He still hadn’t gone to the White Rabbit. The bar opened thirty minutes ago, but Leon was alone with that rabbit for hours. Don’s gloved hands tightened around the steering wheel with a creaking sound.

He couldn’t wait to be there and make his intent clear; Leon was no one to touch. He started the car the moment Raph buckled his belt, trying to calm down his need to ditch Raph there and to climb up to the bar. But Raph needed to be driven home first to be safe at home and even if Don was devoured by his possessivity, his brother’s duty was the top priority. 

“Blue got a new friend,” he said, in a dull voice. Talking with Raph was like talking with himself. He felt even less judgment than with April. “You know how I hate that.”

Raph uttered a painful squeak like he was a mouse who got stomped on. His brother probably had in mind the time he broke the neck of Leonardo’s last friend. There was no regret to have, but Raph was sensitive and Don had to respect that. Anyway, he did hope this thing didn’t have to go as far as breaking any rabbit neck. 

“I’m only worried for Blue. You know how he is. He has a soft heart, and he naturally leads to charm and please people. People like that are very often taken advantage of. You know I won’t allow someone to take advantage of him.” 

Donatello wasn’t sure if Raph was following. He felt the urge to smoke but held back. Raph was the brother he could be the most honest with, but also the one he must be the most flawless with. He knew how much Raph looked up to him, compensating for how much Mikey wasn’t. He wanted to meet Raph’s expectations.

Losing Raph’s admiration would be as bad as losing Leon. Suddenly it struck him. Raph was very sensitive and well, very likely to keep a secret to the grave. The first step was the worst to take. April already knew, anyway and it could make Raph more sympathetic to Don’s cause. 

“You know how I feel for Blue, right?”

He glanced at him and Raph nodded stiffly, his shell hunched by the too small car. 

Don was actually glad to not have to push further with his explanation and not say aloud any embarrassing words.

“Blue is very pretty and nice. Friends want to be close to him and touch him.” He tried to simplify his speech for Raph to get it. “If they do, I will get angry with Blue and have to punish him. Then, Blue would get angry with me and Orange would cry. You don’t want Baby to cry, do you, Raph?”

Raphael shook his head.

“Good.” A silence stretched in the car and by the smell he could tell Raph’s anxiety just reached a peak and Don didn’t get exactly why. He was talking in his smoothest voice. Was it the prospect of Mikey crying that put Raph in that state.

“I will drive you home and come back to watch them. I know you’re a good boy and you are so big, people wouldn’t try to do bad things to you, but they are another story, alas.” There was no sign Raph was feeling any better and Don decided to drop the topic. “How was your day?”

Raph uttered a few short sentences in his broken speech of his and Don tried to not express anything. He couldn’t help it; Raph’s lack of progress was hard to his ego, his biggest failure that was rubbed in his face, every damn day. He did work so hard for Raph to feel safe, happy. He did spend so much time on Raph’s reading and writing skills.

The bottom line was that Raph seemed adequate at his job and not bothered by toddlers drooling and crying. Donatello guessed he couldn’t ask for more.

At home, he made Raph sit, turned on the tv, put an ice cream jar in his hand and a timer for 11:30pm for Raph to go to sleep. He wanted him to be asleep when he, Leo and Mikey got back. Don scolded remembering Mikey would probably ride back with Leon, so he wouldn't be able to talk to him. Mikey was a pro at hoarding Leonardo’s attention. Maybe that suite at their workplace was a blessing.

April could be weird, sometimes, she had insight. What she told him earlier had nagged in the back of his mind the whole day. He would tell Leo he wasn’t a...what had the lobster guy called it earlier? A stress relief, a sex toy. Leo could make Donnie horny as hell without trying, what he felt was deeper than that. He had no idea what sexuality was, when at 6 years old, he left to go to private school, but at the time he already had felt the separation unbearable.

Before leaving, he went to his office and opened the top drawer. He picked up the handgun and slid it in his pocket. Who knows if he would need it in his encounter with Usagi. Don wasn’t violent, he wouldn’t use the gun, but maybe the sight of it would be enough for the bartender to understand and back off.

He didn’t shut the drawer, yet. Something was off, he decided. His eyes zeroed in on the double-bottom of the drawer. It wasn’t right in place and he pulled out the drawer completely. His eyes widened in surprise seeing the drugs. From what he remembered he finished long ago what he hid in his office. He didn’t work there much during the last week. Maybe he had been wrong; after all he wasn’t an addict or anything. When you have so much self-control over yourself, you tend to forget about such things. Suspicion stayed like a dark cloud over his mind a moment, but he chased it away. He knew Mikey sneaked in his office, but it was to steal, not to make a deposit. 

Anyway, he had no time to lose wondering. The bar was now open and he couldn’t wait to be there. Holding back the whole day had taken a toll on him. That discovery was a blessing and gave a little boost to his will to stay in control.

*****

Donatello decided to sit by the counter to be sure to have a closer look. Leonardo was busy, and didn’t notice him yet. Don scowled. Leonardo should be the server and not the other way around. When this mission was over, Leon would never have to work again at all. They wouldn’t have to hide being wealthy and Don would hire a cleaning lady. Leo would be able to read, to sunbath and to have sex the whole day, if that was what he wanted to do.

Behind him, he heard Leo chuckle and his chest tightened. It was rare now that Leo was that carefree at home. He couldn’t help but wonder if Leo wasn’t already in seduction mode. Leo was a natural at flirting. It was why Don had suggested he play the honey trap as a way to use Leo’s skills, but also, try to rip out his feelings from his chest.

“What are you doing here!” Leo hissed in a low voice. That Leo was highly displeased by his presence was evident. It hurt, but Don was used to showing nothing. He practiced hard at the orphanage, digging a fork into his hand until it bled while staying with a stone face in front of the mirror. “I’m working!”

Not even looking at his brother, Don pulled out of his jacket a platinum-colored card.

“For my day of slavery, I was rewarded with this card,” he said. He gazed at Usagi seriously, hoping it would have the intended effect. “This is a VIP card, it comes with the privilege of entering everywhere in the hotel and can be used to get every service that I want for free.” He decided to stop being a coward and meet Leo’s disdainful eyes. “Don’t worry, I will still tip you,” he said, keeping his tone neutral to pretend to be unbothered by Leonardo’s harsh welcoming. “A gin tonic.”

Usagi moved at the order and he stopped him in his tracks.

“I will only drink something from my brother’s hands.”

Annoyance visible on his face, by how stiff he was, Leo put in front of him a gin tonic. It wasn’t the cute purple one of the day before, but Donnie took it. It didn’t taste like anything, and it could have been a glass of nail polish remover, he wouldn’t have noticed anything. His whole faculties were put into studying their body language and prying on the looks they shared.

He couldn’t bear to be left out.

Don ordered a second drink and Leonardo almost snarled in his face, before composing himself. 

“Can I suggest you the evening cocktail?” Leo suggested in his most saccharine voice. “I chose the name.” 

Don didn’t reply, knowing Leo enough to guess he would get back slashed to have dared to enter here.

“It’s an aphrodisiac drink, and so I suggested it should be called Sinful flesh.” Leo grinned and he turned his body for Don to see his tail flapping and the provocation was so blatant, Don’s nails dug into his pants. Leonardo knew very well how strict Don was about never showing his tail outside of his bedroom. Don had so many sexual fantasies about nibbling and stroking and pulling on Leo’s tail when he was at school, and couldn’t even see it, he supposed strangers would have less self-control and wouldn't hesitate to touch it. They were mutants and humans didn’t care at all for mutants' feelings.  
  
“Here, have a sip. It will be the only flesh from me you can taste.” Leo’s tail vibrated and Don felt dizzy with lust. What was Leonardo trying to achieve? By now, Donnie was very used to Leo’s teasing and almost immune to it. But to do so in public was very uncalled for. And what about that aphrodisiac drink? Leo knew Don desired him and his libido needed no fuel at all. Was Leo trying to seduce him for fun, or was it the rabbit, he wondered angrily as the drink was slid under his nose. Was Leo crazy enough to want both of them and have a threesome after work? If so, he was not only crazy, but a fool. 

Don would never share. Leo was his and this slutty routine wouldn't do any good to any of them.

“It should be called Playing with fire,” Don retorted flatly, to dim how mad he was.

“Oh, I actually prefer that name. I’m sorry Leo-San, but we can keep it for your own cocktail creation,” Usagi exclaimed politely but Don didn’t acknowledge him, burning a hole into Leon, sending him the mental order not to dare to play with his heart like that. 

Usagi suggested Leo stay behind the counter to serve Don exclusively. It slightly calmed him down. The rabbit could read the atmosphere and so, maybe to get him out of the picture wouldn’t be that much trouble. Leo was the stubborn one to give him such a hard time. 

"Aphrodisiac cocktail, ugh?” Don stated stone-faced, but gazing at his drink as if it was poison. That the bartender created it for Leon was highly suspicious to his jealous mind.“He made you taste it? He did it for you? Don’t you see what he is trying to do? He wants to have sex with you!”

“Well, I hope so. I heard that rabbits are amazing lovers!” Leo deadpanned. 

Don snapped his head up. He couldn’t believe what Leon just said. How dare he treat him like that, when he was aware of how Don felt for him. To be that cruel wasn’t Leonardo and his irises slid to glance at Usagi. When Leo was acting out of character, he knew it was because he was influenced by someone else. The rabbit could seem accommodating, it was perhaps a facade, to look like the good guy in front of Leon and also because Don had a platinum card.

Yes, it was that. Usagi murmured sweet lies to Leo over the past two days and this is why Leon had rejected him. 

And this is why Leo couldn’t have friends. Leonardo could bitch Donnie was allowed to have one, April wasn’t the same. She knew better than to talk shit to Don about Leo. He wouldn’t dare her to badmouth him.  
“You don’t have your tongue piercing anymore?” Don said out of the blue. He just had a vision of the guy in basketball attire he had to take care of a few years ago. 

“Yes, it was bothering me,” Leo replied coldly. Donnie didn’t say anything. Mikey asked for a body modification and Leo accepted it. If Leo had ears to pierce, would he have done it for that friend of his? Why then was him asking about the branding so much worse? It was only a D, as big as a quarter. If Usagi suggested another piercing, would Leo do it?

Why was Leo now itching for a fight with him?

At some point, even if he didn’t drink his second drink, Don ordered a gin tonic, then another. He had no idea what to do. Ghosts of the past were haunting his mind and he tried to ignore them. He had to restrain himself or he would ruin everything.   
  
“You are not in a James Bond movie to order so much Gin tonic!” Leonardo snapped. “Now that you aren’t snorting or flushing or whatever you did with cocaine anymore, don’t turn into a lush with the cherry on top in your need to spy on me!”He put down in front of Donatello a cup of tea. “Choke on that!”

Don stared at the fragile, victorian cup. In his outburst, Leo could have broken it and as to make up for the violence, he took it very carefully. It has been a while since Leo prepared tea for him. He wasn’t a fool, he knew Leo gave it to him out of spite, but still he touched the thin porcelain as if it was a dream he was afraid to wake up from.  
  
“Thank you, Leon,” he said softly. Leo could be angry, but he still cared; he didn’t want Don to turn into a junkie or an alcoholic and it was very cute, he decided, moved in a way he had not been in a while. He took a sip, the delicate floral taste of the bergamot awakening sweetly his taste buds. Leo made it just the way he liked it.

A short silence stretched between them, the sweet jazzy melody from the speaker making it slightly less uncomfortable. 

“I guess you came here straight after having driven Raph home.” Leo asked, something strained in his voice. Donnie nodded. At least, Leo wasn’t as aggressive anymore. The tea cup had been a break in their fight.

“Now, if you love me, you will let me deal with myself alone and check on Mikey,” Leo said and Don gazed at him, puzzled by the way Leonardo formulated his demand. “I’m worried for him.”

He stood up, feeling at once oppressed and light hearted. If Leo dared to ask such a thing, it was because Leo was well aware of his feelings. He didn’t have to spell them aloud, thank God. He needed to light a candle at St-Anthony’s again.  
  
“Indeed, I’m neglecting my brotherly duties. Raph is at home, but Mikey is plunged into a vice and sinful hole.” He paused for a moment. Leo was his brother too, but of course, the reason he watched him wasn’t at all out of brotherly love. He needed to make sure Leo knew the difference. “I never considered you as my brother.”

Don turned his back to leave, leaving another $100 banknote. “But I will be back,” Donatello added with intent, with a last hard look at Usagi daring him to make a move on Leo. 

On his way to the casino, he met the last person he hoped to see. Big Maman was there, obviously tipsy and helped in her walk by a bull and a moose. 

“Oh, if it is not my lovely, handsome personal assistant,” she said and for a moment Don was very afraid she would ditch the two other guys to have her way with him instead. 

“I’m almost done with work, “ he exclaimed in his most turn-off, professional voice, using the word work as a shield against that woman's appetite. He remembered he didn’t collect Usagi’s answers and he bit his lips. At least, it gave him another reason to go back.

“Such a dedicated assistant,” she said, obviously delighted. “But you didn’t see the suite, right? You have to go up with us to see it!”

Don tried to protest, he had no time, but he was dragged there anyway. His mind compelled dreadful images of him being held down as that woman was riding him, but to his surprise and immense relief, she left him in front of a door. 

“I’m currently busy with an employee assessment. See you on Monday.”

Don rolled his eyes at her obvious lie when her back turned. Now that he was there, he admitted he was kind of curious about the room. He slid his card and the door unlocked, to show him an amazingly elegant apartment, furnished in an art deco style, but masculine, with dominant black and white as color, but also hints of emerald green for the cushions and chair covers and a marble fireplace. He quickly made the tour. It was wide, about 1700 square feet, he guessed with an open living and dining area for six, a bedroom and a full in Italian marble bathroom featuring a bath with whirlpool, glass enclosed steam shower. But the greatest thing was the view because the lack of view was what was missing in his room above the Ramen Shop. They have to fake living in shabby conditions to not raise the attention of the IRS or NYPC. But here, he had none of these organizations to fear. The view of the city was stunning. He stayed a moment gazing at it, letting the beauty wash over his troubled soul. From there, he could see the exact spot where he dropped the guy’s head in the river.

It reminded him of the promise he made to Leo to watch over Mikey. He checked himself in the mirror before leaving but his gaze was more focused on the bed he could see behind him. He imagined being able to bring Leo up here to make him moan. He would be able to do it to his heart’s-content. They wouldn’t wake up any brothers. The teasing of Leo had left a strain on his body, an ache. He pulled out his cock from his pants and started stroking himself. His mind pictured one of his favorite fantasies, Leo playing basketball. 

Before the whole debacle of the friend thing, Leon had told him he played basketball and was actually good at it and having fun. Leo had told him with those velvety eyes of his, like he was asking permission to play. When Leonardo had that soft, pliant, docile behavior, there was no way Don could refuse him anything. Besides, doing sports was part of a healthy lifestyle. 

Once, he had been curious and didn’t tell his family about having a day off at school, because of a Back to School special show he wasn’t part of. He came on aThursday night by his own means. He knew Leon was playing at the time and so he had walked to the basketball court, with the pure intent to sit and watch the game as a good old brother would do. It was a warm night in September and the sunset was beautiful. Don was feeling unusually happy and fidgety and not sure what to do with his good mood. He had spotted his brother immediately. Don had been late, since Leo was wiping his face with his shirt, already sweaty from the game. In the sunset light, as he was carefreely wiping his face, showing off his hard plastron and the band of his underwear, Leo had no idea of how handsome, how sensual he was. Don had no real idea either before then and the revelation was too much to handle, he fled. The dreams had started about the same time.

Since then, it was his favorite fantasy, except that now the mental image had evolved, showing him an aged up Leo, more muscular, with the designer sport outgear Don chose for him. 

Don came hard and surfed on his orgasm a moment, but bitterness filled him almost immediately.

How he craved him and how Leo was making fun of him didn’t make any sense. He wiped himself clean, and finally decided to have a cold shower before heading to the casino.

*****

It was now past 11:00. Mikey was behind his Baccarat table, but Don spotted immediately the strain in Mikey’s smile. Something was wrong and Don cursed himself to have failed Leo by letting that woman lure him to the penthouse, and waste time gazing at view, jerking off and then, washing.

It wasn’t long before Don understood the reason for it, A bearbed human was there, because human customers were allowed in the casino. On his face, lust was obvious, but the bad kind, the one that was just bestial curiosity. 

“Can I join the game,” Don posely asked, standing next to the guy and in front of Mikey.

For once, relief shone in Mikey’s eyes seeing him and Donnie understood it must be very bad for Mikey to feel so. 

“I advise you not too. That little scaly bitch is cheating” the man said and Don turned livid at the outrage. Of course, Mikey must cheat a few times. The house must make a profit, but the scaly bitch was too much. And Don knew Mikey was very nervous around humans. 

“Well, let's see,” Don dropped casually, but by how many people shared a worried look he knew they weren’t fooled by his neutral demeanor. Playing baccarat wasn’t a pastime of his. Intelligence had nothing to do with, only chance, but he had to find a reason to be there. 

It wasn’t long before the guy lost again and Don won and the guy protested Mikey and Don being two reptilian bastards, they were teaming up.

Don scanned around to see if any security guy was there to throw the guy out. He was making a ruckus and it was bad for the business, his manager’s mind told him. Seeing no one, Don understood it was on him to make the guy shut up and politely, he asked him to leave.

“I’m not taking orders from a leathery mutant. You are nothing more than a talking purse! Don’t you understand what I said? This little bitch is cheating?” the man yelled, trying to gather the approval of the other players, all mutants, but from the mammal species.

“I’m sorry, I don’t speak Sore-loser language,” Don said contemptuously and Mikey let out a giggle. It was probably the first time he made Mikey laugh. Other people clapped their hands, cheering for Donnie and finally the bull Big Maman had her employee assessment with, appeared to throw the guy out after having promised Don and Mikey weren’t done with him. 

Mikey seemed a little shaken and Don decided to take it on himself to send Mikey home earlier.

He had no idea who the authority was when Big Mama was probably busy having sex.

He waited until the game was over and handed his keys to Mikey.

“Go home,” he said. “I will come back with Leo.”

At the key offer, Mikey had shown stupefaction but at Leon’s name a knowing smirk lit up his face. 

“Take it!” Don insisted. “And check on Raph at home, for me. He seemed a little off.”

This convinced Mikey and he took the key. Now, Don was free. Mikey would be fine at home with Raph. Don just managed to get some alone time with Leo. He even had a reason to go back, admitting he needed one; he had to do his survey boy job.

He tried to not cringe at Leo’s exasperated face seeing him back when he stepped into the White Rabbit. He went straight toward Usagi and to get it over with, asked him the question and his emails, recording the answers, under Leo’s puzzled gaze.

As everybody else, it appeared that Usagi was very satisfied at the Nexus Grand Hotel.

Whether that prick was happy or not didn’t matter to him. That whole place being still in business was fishy to him and the shenanigans in the Turkish baths was only a droplet in an ocean of shady businesses, he guessed. He ordered a cup of tea in his more soft voice. 

“Would you leave me alone,” Leo asked, annoyance and anger lacing his voice. 

“Mikey was indeed in trouble and so, I gave him my keys to return home,” Don said, dismissing the question. If anything, Mikey’s name was a sure way to placate Leo enough for Leo to not retort that he could have taken a cab.

Leo’s shift was now over and again, Usagi let him leave the bar to do the closing alone. Don felt Leo was retive next to him, but he was still following and Don didn’t press the matter. He knew Leo enough to know it was uncalled for to bring him up to the suite and sex him up. Anyway, he was more looking for acceptance and loving words than getting off. 

They were outside and the wind was chilly. They were in December and Leo wore only a very thin Fall coat. He regretted having nothing more than his own jacket to offer. Leo would turn it away, anyway, protesting Don was treating him like a girl again.

Some cute red panda called them when they were on the sidewalk and he gave Don a golf club bag that seemed to cost a pretty penny. 

“Big Mama heard of your deed and wanted to give you this,” the panda said. 

Taken aback by the weird gift, Don thanked him anyway, Golf was a sport played by successful people and the kind he could enjoy. He knew there was a virtual golf room in the hotel. 

“What was that about?” Leo asked, as they were turning the block. “What does this woman want to do with you?” he asked, a hint of jealousy in his voice. Was Leon an idiot? “What did you do to her to get a VIP card and a bag of Golf Clubs? You don’t even play golf, that would require you to leave your office!”

“Actually, I did nothing except what you asked me to do,” Don started to explain. “There was a rude human and..”

At the exact moment he was about to tell Leo about that guy, Donnie saw him looking at them through his open car window. Out of instinct, Don shoved Leo into the wall to shield him with his body as gunshot were heard. 

“What was that?” Leonardo asked, struggling as the car sped far away but not fast enough for Don to miss and record the plate number in his memory. 

“Are you hurt?” Don asked, dropping the bag. One of the bullets had grazed a club. 

“What happened?” Leon seemed more shocked than anything, trembling with nerves. “Who shot at us?”

“Sssh, you’re alright,” Don muttered, stroking Leo's jaw. His brother looked at him with shock and something else altogether and Don realized how closely pressed together their bodies were. Arousal and desire flared up in him. Damn, they could have died. 

As if to comfort himself, he took a deep sniff into the crook of Leo’s neck, his lips brushing the shivering skin. He kissed it gently. April told him to be more caring, more tender.

“We could have died, with this misunderstanding between us.” Again, April’s words came to his mind. “You are not an itch to scratch.” He nibbled the tender flesh, very careful to not burst the skin, still fragile by his bite. His hand slid under Leo’s shirt stroking the hard plastron. If he was bold enough to slide it in Leonardo’s pants he was sure he would be wet. He could almost feel the moisture through the fabric of both their pants as he could feel Leo’s quickly swollen cock. 

His mouth moved, searching for the other and the kiss was hesitant at first before it turned heated. Leo was there as Don wanted him to be, hot and sweet, but making out in an alley wasn’t what he had in mind.

“I have a suite in the hotel,” he whispered. “Please,” he added, ready to step on his pride to be sure it would work out. “I need you. Don’t you feel the same?” 

Leo was shaking, obviously horny by how hard he panted, Don felt he was fighting with himself. He couldn't believe it when Leo, pushed him away and said:

“No.”

Don opened his mouth to say something, to ask why, when it was obvious Leo felt the same, but Leo from whom arousal dimmed fast was quick to explain.

“I’m not playing hard to get,” he insisted. “If that’s what you are thinking.” Indeed, it was what Don thought. “I know you are kinda sincere too, but your love isn’t something I need, or want. You’re toxic, Donnie, for me, for our family, for yourself. I’m tired of hoping you will change. You can be a very capable man, but you can’t make me happy.”

It fell on Donnie as if the golf club bag had been dropped on his head from the 44th floor. 

“As an adult, I want my own life,” Leo continued, hammering in the nail. “I want to learn about a career that has always interested me…”

“A career? This?” Don snarled, anger reaching a dangerous level now. 

“Yes,” Leo continued, not impressed at all. “I don't care if you think it’s not good enough for me. Can’t I do something I want for once?” he yelled, the mood really ruined now. “You prevented me from going to school, working, or having friends. You threw me into that weird business of yours because you must also have a masochist streak somewhere or you just want to keep me busy so I don’t look elsewhere. But it stops now, I told you. First, I don’t want to be associated with criminals anymore. It's sick.”

Don never saw himself as a criminal. It was odd to formulate it like that. It was just a good job opportunity. Anyway, Leo did appreciate the cash it brought them, didn’t he?

“I looked up to you when I was young, then lusted after and loved you in the past years, but I know better now,” Leo continued to emotionally stab him, obviously not done. “You won’t change. I’m the thing you pretend to love the most and still, how many times have you hurt me? I lost count.”

Don’s heart raced like crazy and he felt a burn in his throat. It was the feelings that were choking him, the feeling he knew he should never have felt, but it was too late. 

That was three times in a row Leo rejected him. Three strikes meant he was out and Don stepped back. He reached for his wrist and Don saw Leo tensing. April said the bracelet could be seen as a proof of their commitment, a symbol they were partners. They all made such a big deal out of it, while Don really just wanted to show that he cherished him, he couldn’t stand the uncertainty of having him out of his sight, the fear of abandonment freezing the marrow of his bones. What he felt was always so raw and powerful, it was frightening. Naming them was impossible to do, and Donnie always had the impression that naming the feelings would make them even more alive and dangerous in him like some evil spirits in old tales were summoned when one speaks their name. But it was like everything and people preferred to imagine him having wicked intentions.

It didn't matter now if Leo was God knows where. Leonardo refused him, didn’t want him around at all. Leo was saying Don hurt him and made him unhappy and it was such a shock to hear such a declaration from the guy you have been in love with for twenty years and always cared for, that Donatello was now at the point he thought he would never reach: forfeit. 

He had a sad smile as the bracelet dropped to the ground after a clicking sound. 

“I understand, you are free,” Don said in a voice he hoped would sound cold and firm. Leo’s utter shock could have been amusing if Don wasn’t soul crushed. 

Leo stared at the device open and laying on the sidewalk with stunned eyes. Then, he glanced up.

“Donnie,” he murmured. “Donnie baby,”

But Donatello turned his shell. He was done being Leo’s plaything. He was making Leo unhappy? Leo wanted him out of their lives? He never heard of such ungrateful shit. Whatever he did had always been for their family! They don't want him around, still, because he was toxic? Fine, he would leave them alone. 

For the first time, Don felt he may not be able to hold it in and would actually cry so he picked up his golf bag and walked in the direction the guy’s car went, while looking at his phone. It was child’s play to track someone with a car plate.

“Don, you’re bleeding! Leo exclaimed, fear and concern in his voice, but Don didn’t slow his step. Leo didn’t ask if he was fine, so he just didn’t mention it. “We have to check that out! Come with me, I will drive you to the hospital.”

But Don didn’t reply and Leo shouted.

“Where are you going? My car is in the opposite direction!”

“I’m not going home with you.” He motioned to his bag. “I’m going to hit some balls to relax.”

“But that makes no sense!” Leo was reaching for him, chasing him and Don shoved him away, but gently, with all the self restraint he was able to keep. “It’s Winter and you are hurt!” he cried out. 

Yes he was hurt, but not the way Leo though he was.

He continued his walk, without turning back despite Leo’s pleas to have his meltdown far from his brother’s eyes. He was overwhelmed with such terrible feelings, he had to do at least something constructive with them.


	33. When the party's over

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No beta, because because  
> Art by Gothamopossum

* * *

The long, terrifying wail, like the one of a wounded beast, awoke Raph and he sat upright in his bed. What was that, he wondered with a racing heart. Another cry echoed throughout the house and he identified the source of it.

It was Blue and dread filled Raph immediately. Blue wasn’t used to make any display that could upset or scare them. He usually keeps himself in check, probably having his meltdown far from Mikey’s sensitivity. Leonardo had been used very early to control himself; because Donatello needed an adult teammate, so Leon had no choice but to grow up fast.

For Leonardo to cry so openly, it must be catastrophic. The last time he did was at Papa Splinter’s death.

Raphael jumped down his bed and rushed to the door. Mikey was up too and they shared an anxious glance. Fear was written on Mikey’s youthful face and a deep need to protect him stung Raph. 

He didn’t have the time to do anything, Mikey was the first to get out of his shock and move, running down the stairs to see what was happening to the dearest person of his universe.

“Leo!” Mikey shouted, in a blind panic. “Leo! What is going on?”

Raph followed Mikey but with less precipitation. He wasn’t in a hurry to know the reason for the mourning sound. He wasn’t eager to know what had happened to them, because for Blue to act like that, he knew something terrible had occurred.

He climbed down the staircases carefully as he was afraid to worsened Leo’s pain by making any noise. 

At the bottom of the staircase, Mikey was frozen in shock, calling Blue’s name in a weak voice and Raph got a very bad feeling.

Leo was leaning against the wall, as he couldn’t stand without it. His eyes were red-rimmed and he had torn off his bandana, probably soaked from tears, showing his devastated and pale face.

“What happened,” Mikey choked out, troubled because even if Blue and Baby were very close, he never saw Leo so far upset. Neither did Raph. At Splinter’s funeral, Leo had let tears run down his face very discreetly, as he was afraid to bother Don sitting next to him who was handing him his handkerchief with something like cold annoyance on his face.

The present Leo wasn’t holding back anything and it was the most heartbreaking thing Raph ever saw. It was unnerving, considering how calm, kind and bright a nature Leo usually was.   
  
Mikey glanced at Raph, with wide eyes, very troubled. “What’s going on?” Mikey finally urged with more insistence.

“Don...Don got shot,” Leo stammered before sliding to the ground, his knees buckling under him and Raph gasped as Leo was doing right now as if the air was too thick for Leon to breath. Raph knew the signs for what it was: a panic attack, with something else altogether; something that Raphael, like many other things, wasn’t knowledgeable in. 

“Shot?”Mikey repeated, pale and shocked. “Don?”

Leo didn’t reply but uttered some mourning chirps, his hands convulsively holding on his chest and arm. It was a very alien sound, that they never heard before, but that they instinctively recognized. Raph’s heart ached as it had been squeezed. The air around them was getting formal and dark.

“Is he...dead?”Mikey asked, swallowing hard after a moment of hesitation, hoping he wouldn’t have to ask that, they would see Don walking home, just behind Leo. But there was no ambulance, nor Don. Leo was still so lost in his grief, it was like he didn’t hear the question first. Mikey repeated himself again. There was no more place on Baby’s mind to mock or disrespect Donatello. Donnie’s despicable controlling habits were on the back burner. Mikey was trembling from head to toe, feeling strongly Don as part of his family and universe now.

Blue shook his head and Raph felt a bit of relief, but since Leo was crunched on the floor and still sobbing he knew there was something more. 

“Are you hurt?” Mikey rushed to kneel next to Leo, probably wondering that the reason Leo was so clenching his chest from one hand and the arm from the other must be because he had a wound.

But Leo winced away from Mikey’s embrace. Raph’s eyes scanned the frame door, the wall, the door, all that Leo had touched. There was no blood, thankfully, but Raph was barely recomforted by it. 

“He..he removed the bracelet,” Leo mumbled, seeming so distraught like he had lost his mind.

It took a moment for the words to sink into their confused minds.

“What?” Mikey looked at Leo and Raph, eyes full of questions. They heard well but weren’t following. “The bracelet? Which bracelet?”Mikey questioned before he got an idea. “The taser one?”

Leonardo nodded and tears ran down his cheeks as he glanced at his wrist where the bracelet was. 

“So? Aren’t you glad?”Michelangelo wondered. “What did the bracelet have to do with Don being shot and you crying your soul out?” Mikey exclaimed, getting impatient. 

The anguish in Raph grew at the unexpected move from Donatello. Don had said that if he died, Leo would get a deadly shock, but Raph wasn’t sure it was true or just a lie to be sure Leo would behave. Was it and Donnie didn’t want Leo to die because Don himself was dying? Raph turned around and scanned the place, looking for something to do. He needed to go look for Donnie, that was for sure, but has no idea how to do that. The anxiety ball in the pit of his stomach was getting unbearable.

Because for Don to release Leonardo, something critical must have happened.

“Purple,” was all that Raph could mutter, and again, he cursed that fear that paralyzed him to talk. He needed to know where Donatello was the last time Leo saw him. And how if Don had been shot Leo was there? Leonardo could be sweet most of the time, he wasn’t a turtle that would allow one of them to be hurt without terrible retaliation. Also, if Don was hurt, Leo’s place was supposed to be next to him, giving him care. Raph knew Don enough to know if it was Leonardo, he would allow to get touched and stitched or whatever needed to be done, but he was very unlikely he let someone else touch him, even less an unknown human. 

At the word, Leo glanced up, his eyes swollen. He probably cried the whole ride. Maybe Donatello was in Leo’s car? Raph made a step to reach the door, but he couldn’t overstep his soul-crushed brother that was blocking the way as he was nothing.

“What happened?” Mikey asked again, with a more urging tone. “Tell us!”

“He...he was walking me home...he got a golf club bag from that weird woman and was telling me about a guy at the casino that had bothered you,” Leo recaps miserably and Raph could see Mikey turning paler. “Then, out of nowhere, a car drove by us and Don sensed the danger before me...he shoved me away, and...shielded me.” 

There was a pause and Mikey respected it for a moment. Leo was having a hard time and they both have enough love and respect for him to leave him the time to pull himself together. Don got shot, protecting Leo. It was making sense, and Raph unconsciously nodded. That Leo was upset over it was understandable. Don and Leo could fight, they deeply cared for each other. But something was off, Raph felt it in his guts. 

“Then?”Mikey motioned for Leo to continue.

“We...He asked me if I was fine. I was in shock because we just got shot out of nowhere and he shoved me hard on a brick wall. I replied I wasn’t hurt. I thought it was the same for him since he asked me...I didn’t think of asking!” Leo exclaimed, regret and shame lacing his voice. “Then...we…” Leo troubled himself after a quick glance at him and Raph understood Leo was hesitating to explain because he was there.

“Okay, you were both making out in the alley! We got it!”Mikey snapped with nerves. “There’s something going out between both of you! I know it and Raph knows it! “Just be straightforward, damn it!”

There was a hit of hysteria in Mikey’s voice and sadly, Raph wondered if it was because Mikey was jealous. Baby Orange and Blue were so close, loving each other so much, Raph felt always left out. He bet Donatello felt the same a few times. The advantage of it was that Mikey never got any issues to speak his mind with Blue, the very few times this one was unreasonable. 

“Then, we got into an argument,” Leo finally managed to say, and Mikey despite his annoyance at the obvious gap in the story didn’t pressure Leo to tell the whole thing. Anyway, what Leo skipped in his story wasn’t probably the reason Blue cried so much. Raph guessed Don did to Leo the things that he had in mind when he was sniffing Leo’s clothes. Leonardo had no reason to be that embarrassed with him. It wasn’t like it wasn’t self-evident for a long time. In fact, it has been a while that Raphael hoped Don would let his feelings out. Holding back was killing their brother for years.

Too much holding back turned the moment where Donnie’s control could snap, much more dangerous.

“He asked me to...stay at the hotel a little longer with him. I think...he wanted us to spend the night there.” Leo swallowed heavily and Mikey raised an eyebrow in surprise. Raphael was surprised as well, but in a way, it was making sense. Donatello was a very fierce protector of his privacy. He wasn’t comfortable enough with the new predicament with Leonardo. He had wanted intimacy for him and his chosen mate, far from his curious sibling. Long ago, Raph had been afraid that eventually, Don would leave with Leo elsewhere. There was no way Mikey would want to stay with him alone. Raph wasn’t as entertaining and loveable as Leo. But Don had said that it wasn’t in his plan to ever leave, except for a very short trip that would never extend beyond ten days. 

“I refused.” Raph snapped his head in surprise at Leo’s answer.

Every word seemed painful to say to Leonardo and it took a moment for him to explain himself. “I told him...I told him I didn’t want him,” he blurted out. “I say he couldn’t make me happy, that he was toxic for our family. I told him I was done with his business, with him,” he enumerated, running a hand down his face. “I told him everything that I was holding back for years.” He had a sad chuckle. “For a heartbeat, it had felt great to get everything out of my chest.”

Raph opened wide eyes in shock. Donatello finally managed to say what was eating him alive for years and Blue told him no? Of course, he could understand Leo. Don has a way of loving that was peculiar and well, that could be scary. Raph knew how far the deep feeling he had could lead Donnie. But he wasn’t all bad. He deeply cared for Leo, and if he gathered the courage to voice aloud his feelings it could have been a baby step to a more tender Don, the one they never saw, but that Raph knew was there, hidden behind Don’s cold businessman attitude.

“Donnie was...angry, then, upset, I think,” Leo recalled sadly. “But, he didn’t fight that much...he said he understood and he unlocked my bracelet.”Leo paused for a moment, like lost in his innerworld. “Damn, I should not have put back the battery in…” he mumbled for himself. Neither Mikey nor he asked a question about it. The bracelet was far from their mind.

“Then?”Mikey was now shaking Leo. “Pull your shit together, bro!”

“He said...I was free.” Leo was still staring at the void, fully reliving the moment. Raph’s insides churned with anguish. There was no way Don just told Leo he was free. Donatello loved Leo far too much to let it go, like that. Besides, Don never drops anything. He always said it was a loser attitude to Mikey when his baby brother complained about something difficult.

“He turned his shell and started walking away and this is how I saw he was bleeding,” Leo cried out, startling them. He had been so quiet the last minutes, they both jumped. “I begged him to come with me. I wanted to drive him to the hospital,”Leo insisted, shaking Mikey. “Of course, I would not have ditched him there and driven back home as nothing had happened, but He said he wouldn’t come home with me...he wanted to play golf.” Leo looked up to Raph, his black eyes showing confusion and pain. “Do you understand? He took a bullet for me and just walked away to play golf?” he shouted, his voice strained, thick with feelings. “In the middle of the night, after getting shot!”

Raph stared at his sobbing brother, trying to wrap his mind around what had exactly happened. They got aimed at, Don got hurt, didn’t tell, too busy feeling emotion to think about his physical wound, and then, after having been turned down very flat, he had refused to go home. 

Of course, he had refused, Don was very proud and the refusal, after a building up of years must have hurt him as much as the bullet. There was no way Don would go to the hospital alone. He was wary of everyone. If he refused Leo’s help, he would die alone, without even asking a band-aid.

“So, why are you there?” Mikey questioned and Leo gazed at him with wide eyes. “Why did you not grab him by the arm and dragged him home?”Mikey’s sharp eyes were studying his heartbroken brother. "He was hurt and so more vulnerable and anyway, Don would never raise his hand on you! If you were a little more forceful, he would have followed home!" he concluded angrily.

Raph stared at Mikey speechless. Even if Mikey’s point was valid, it was very cruel of him to rub into Leo’s face that again, he had been too weak, too easy to drop it.

"You didn't see his face!" Leonardo snapped suddenly. "I tried to do that! I’m not heartless to leave him like that, but...He…” Leo struggled hard to convey what he means, too overwhelmed by the emotion the memory was making him live. “I was a stranger to him."

Leon's tone expressed such sorrow that Mikey calmed down.

“What do you mean?” he asked more softly.

"He looked at me...like I was a piece of trash," Leo finished miserably. "Something lower than his new golf club."

It wasn’t a reason for Leo to not drag Don home, but none of them insisted. Leo had been shocked and was upset. Knowing him, he probably cursed himself all his way home to had left Don alone.

"Well, he played the proud asshole and lied about going to play golf," Mikey said, changing the topic slightly. "Right now, he is riding an ambulance. Either he called it or he passed out and someone did for him."

Leo looked at him with a mix of doubt and hope.

"Then, he would come back," Mikey continued. "He would sulk you a few days and return to his way of before. Anyway, was it not what you wanted?" Mikey asked. "Admitting he listened to you and got it, aren't you happy?" Something sounded fake in Mikey's voice, despite how he tried to be cheering Leo up. "You got rid of the bracelet. If it wasn't Donnie got shot, it would be good news."

Leonardo didn't reply and Raph read the feelings on Leo's expressive face.

As Don acknowledged his feelings, Leo did the same. Raphael wasn't that dumb; he knew Leo had been right about a few things he had told Donnie. Leo was right to feel that way, but...

The moment and the words chosen had been the mistake. Leo had realized it and by seeing how deeply he had hurt Don by his refusal, Leonardo had regretted it. In fact, Leo didn’t mean half of what he said, Raph supposed. Indeed, Don had pushed far with the bracelet and Leo was right to want it removed. Leo didn’t want to get rid of Don, he only wanted to be loved differently. He could have made his point across by using his assets; his eyes, his smile, his voice, his body. Leo was already silver-tongued. With some caresses and body worship, Leo could have made Don sign he resigned as CEO of the company. He had such power over him, but never took it except when it was about to get Mikey out of the hook. But Leo never took something for himself. Raph could bet that a big part of Leo’s tirade had been motivated to give Mikey and Raph himself more freedom from Don.

Instead of coaxing Don into making concessions, telling he wanted him, but at some conditions, he had spat at him all the bad things Don could do, and God knows that Donnie could have an evil side.   
  
Donatello wasn’t expressing many feelings but the ones he had weren’t half-assed. And for such a grey character, it was with him all black or all white. Leo told him no, Don didn’t need to know more; he was done.

If Leo had waited in the hotel room and had been softer in his way to say it, Don would have been less angry, maybe. Moreover, Leo would have found out Donnie had been shot.

It reminded Raph of the real priority: Don was hurt, both physically and emotionally, and wandering alone, probably not considering the slightest to get his wound to take care of. What his brothers often put aside is that despite looking selfish, Don wasn’t. Donatello wasn’t very interested in himself. Whatever he did was for them, if Leo told him he was toxic, Don had probably lost all will to live, having lost his purpose.

Leo was still sobbing his soul out, about Don was delusional to have mentioned golf and it was a sure sign his wound was infected. He cried about how no one was there to slide a Tylenol in Donnie’s mouth if he had a fever, and how he poorly treated Don who just took a bullet for him and still, asked about Leo’s potential injuries without mentioning his. He was rambling the same thing over and over again and to see such a breakdown from Leonardo who had been a rock for them was soul-crushing. At some point, when Raph was debating if he should slap Leo as they do in the movies to calm someone down, Leo jumped on the door. 

“I’m gonna get him back!” Leo decided.

It was a bad idea, and even Mikey was agreeing with him. Raph could tell only by a glance at his baby bro’s skeptical face. The moment for dragging Don home was gone. If there was something Raph was sure was that Don wouldn’t want to deal with Leo, right now. 

For the first time in Donatello’s life, Leon was the last person he wanted to see. Leonardo was too smart to ignore it, but with that reckless, bold attitude of his, he hoped he would overcome Don’s new reservations. 

Leo could be smarter than him, more skilled, and could make long sentences, he was too upset to think straight.

“Red is going for Purple,” Raph decided.

Leo gaped and Mikey too, but something gleamed in the youngest eyes that went straight to Raph’s chest, warming him up. This is how he had always wanted Don to look at him, but stopped to hope for long ago. 

“I’m going with you,” Leo decided and Raph felt like facepalming. Leonardo was a very stubborn turtle sometimes. If he decided he would come, it would take a lot to change his mind. And Raph wasn’t cruel enough to tell Leo straightforwardly that Don probably didn’t want to see him. Even if he wanted, he doubted he could gather the strength to make the words leave his lips.

Mikey lunged at Leo, to embrace him or rather, held him down, telling him to stay there in his softest voice, but Leo protested that Donnie made him promise to never leave Raph alone outside their house. 

It was true, but at the moment, Raph was positive Don has a lot more things on his mind than Raph disobeying. 

“Raph is going to go alone. He will be fine. If anything, he is very likely to succeed much more than you or me. Don can’t get angry at Raph and he is totally unable to be harsh with him.”

It wasn’t fully true. Don could get angry at him, but they didn’t have to know Don had threatened to rip his tongue the day he had walked on him, neither gave Raph a stern talk the time he killed Leo's friend accidently.

“If he sees you, out of pride, he would be even a more stubborn asshole to die on the sidewalk,” Mikey insisted. It was the less upsetting way to put this. Michelangelo had always an instinctive way to get at people, at least Raph and Leo.

“We will wait for him together,” Mikey proposed to placate Leo into staying home. "Raph will bring him back."

It was good to feel so much trust in him and to be useful, but Raph also felt anxiety. He knew Don enough to know how hurt his brother must be, but he has no idea how Don reacted when his feelings were hurt. 

Raph wasn't afraid for him but was afraid to disappoint Baby.

Leo was still struggling and protesting but too crushed to be very effective at it and, snatching the key, Raph left. 

Of course, Donatello had told him so many times to not get out by himself. He had used the "incident" to make his point across: human people were hostile and mean, but Raph was also dangerous. Dangerous in a way Raph was too strong in ratio for his brain. He would get in trouble and then, the whole family would be. 

Raph was ready to get the heat for his brothers. Don failed to teach him many things, but Raph learned their little brothers were precious. Out of their family, there was nothingness. Mikey and Leo could have complained under Don's dictatorship, they were too used to it to not fall apart without him. In their family all of them have a role, Raph has the arms, Don the brain, Mikey the heart, and Leo the soul, the glue holding them together, Donnie once told him. 

They would die if one of them left.

He drove to the hotel, and then, got out of the car, sniffing deeply the cold air of December. Raph was a product from a military lab. His creating purpose had been clear: chase down people and rip them apart. For it, they have gifted him with special features as Don had put it for Raph to understand. 

He has an acute sense of smell, could see in the dark, and has a very good earing too, since he probably got bred with other species characteristics Don had said. Mikey was the same and it often made Don think Mikey was coming from a lab too, maybe ours, but years later. Don wondered why they ditched Mikey so soon before even having tried him out? Was it because Mikey was so little? But were they not the ones having to create him that way? What did they try to achieve, to realize so fast they failed to? How Mikey had been abandoned so early was another motive for Donatello to hate humans.

Raph has no idea if Don has the same features. After that, they were coming from the same lab, but Donatello was a genius and so Raph supposed it was enough of a talent.

From what they know, only Leo seemed to have no special characteristics. His skills were the result of years of training and so, easy to explain. Donatello once suggested Leo could have been only created to be beautiful, as a spare project totally different from the others. Donatello spent a great deal of time thinking of Leonardo’s creation purpose. Maybe they intended to make of him a spy, a femme fatale like in the movies, able to draw from prime ministers and businessmen all their secrets? It was only Don's own lust talking, to Raph's opinion. Leo was alluring, but not enough for Raph to get out of his way only by his look. 

Maybe Leo knew, but from what he knew Leo never talked of before he went to the orphanage. Don never asked, it was like everything. He preferred to ponder over Leo than talk to him directly.

Anyway, it wasn’t time to think about that. Raph took a second sniff. He could easily perceive Don’s perfume. Donatello spent an eye-watering price for Leo to have a unique cologne, very identifiable for Raph. Even before the bracelet, Don never liked to not know where Leo was. They tested it once; a night that Leo was out for a mission and Mikey with some friends. Raph could smell Leo at seven miles around. They never told Leo; it was another ‘secret’ between them. But what Raph never said was that Don’s cologne was also very specific and Raph could smell him as well. Raphael was smelling Donatello right now and he didn’t like at all the direction from where the perfume was coming; it was from the river. 

Raph needed no brain to know what Don was doing there and the image of what must have occurred haunted his mind. Donatello said he was about to play golf and since Leo doesn’t know Don the half Raph did, he just believed Don was delusional because of his wound. Raph knew very well that Don hits no balls. He probably chased the guy that shot at them down. Whoever that guy was, he aimed at them and Leo could have got hurt. Don could not give the slightest fuck about himself, there was no way Don allow such a person to stay alive, how angry he was at Leo at the moment. He probably sneaked on the guy and unleashed on him as Leo’s hurtful words were spinning in his head.

Then, he had cleaned the evidence and dropped the body in the river. 

Raph crunched on the ground and dipped his finger in the blood splatter and for a few minutes, he followed the blood trail. Raph could not be smart, after years of beating people up, he knew a lot about blood splatters. Don’s wound was probably due to a bullet grazing his skin. It wasn’t critical, but it could get infected easily if Donnie was too stubborn to take care of it.

At some point, he had stopped to bandage it or something, because two blocks away, the blood trail ended. Raphael guessed that at this point, Leo wasn’t following Don anymore and so, his brother had stopped to stop bleeding, not because he cared, but to erase evidence for the crime he was about to commit.

Shivering, Raph returned to his car and drove with the window down, to be sure to not lose the smell as he drove toward the dock.

He wondered if it was too late for Don to spare a life. Raph knew little about Donnie’s most secret thought, but he guessed Don was maybe like him, waking up, drenched in sweat after a nightmare. The one that scared Raph the most was the one where Leo was playing basketball with his friend’s head, without noticing. Leonardo kept dribbling, oblivious to the blood splatters.

When he parked his car and spotted the gloomy figure, Raph knew he was too late to save the human, but he still got out of the car to save what he still could; his family.

It was still timidly that he walked to join Donatello, standing at the edge of the river, in a spot far from the light pole. There was a metal fence, of course, but that was barely reaching Don’s hips. He knew his brother sensed him by how imperceptibly he tensed, but he continued to smoke idly, not even turning his head to greet him. Raph’s eyes scanned his brother to see where he got hurt. It was easy to find; there was still a dark spot of blood that had dried on Don’s back jacket. His shell had been touched and it was bad, even if the spot wasn’t bigger than Mikey’s fist.

But what was also troubling was how close Don was from the edge. He could jump over that fence very easily. Of course, Don could swim, but if his brother decided he wanted to die, he would forget he knew. 

“Don…” he choked out, trying to compel to get out of his mouth beautiful and complex words that could reach Don’s heart.

“What are you doing here, Raph?”Don asked flatly. He was still not looking at Raph, gazing into the distance. “Go home, go to bed. You aren’t respecting your routine right now and it’s important you do.”

“Blue…” he started. Stress was already reaching such a high level, he was back to baby words. How badly did they fight? “Leo,” he finally tried again. “Cried a lot.” It wasn’t as eloquent as Raphael hoped he could be, but Leonardo's crying was probably something unbearable for Don.

“I know no Blue,” Don dropped and with a flicker, he threw his cigarette away and Raph’s heart sank. What does that mean? He still took a step closer, carefully to not make his brother snap. 

“Baby brothers,” he said again, stretching his hand carefully to touch Don’s shell. His brother needed love and comfort at the moment. He needed to be hugged, even against his wills, forced love down his throat, to finally understand Leo didn’t mean it, well, not all of it. Then, Raph could drag Don home. He hoped to not have to go that far, that he had to knock Don out, to bring him home. “Home.”

“I have no baby brothers.” Donatello’s tone was icy and condescending as Raph was delusional, but at least Don had turned toward him, getting away from the edge of the river. “You are my only brother and you are a big guy now, Raph. You can live on your own. My new home is the hotel.”

Raph was so shocked he couldn’t speak. It was there, the moment he dreaded for years. Donatello was abandoning them. He always knew he wasn’t good enough for Don, but his heart howled in pain for his brothers, for Leo mostly, who did try so hard to meet Don’s standard for so long. Yes, there was a frightening side in Donatello that scared him and his brothers too, even if they didn’t know all the extent of it. But Don has that soft, caring, loyal side too and somewhat Raphael was more afraid for Don than for Leo, thinking it over. All those years, Don had kept himself in check for them. He needed to not lose it, for them to have a better future. Raphael never doubted Leonardo was Don’s source of inspiration and energy. Donatello was driven to give Leo everything that poor turtle could even desire. All the time that he had spoken of a cabin near a lake, Donnie had included Mikey and Raph in his dreams, but Raph wasn’t as naive as one could think. What drove Don to work to exhaustion was to make a beautiful-and safe-nest for his mate like the Pufferfish males in that documentary he watched. It was to make up for having dragged the canteen turtle in that place full of bugs, Raphael supposed. Leo never complained about the Ramen Shop. In a way, if anything Leo was the one seeming to love it the most. 

But now the dream of a cabin had faded from Don’s mind. He has no mate to care anymore, no family, no purpose. What would prevent Don to yield to his dark side? He looked up, pleading silently Don to reconsider. Whatever fight he had with Leon, the slider regretted it. 

“Blue…” he tried for the third time.

“I may come to see you at the daycare. Work hard, Raph, make me proud.”

Raph was so shocked that he couldn’t move. Don was quietly walking away and as Raph wasn’t there anymore, he typed on his phone fading in the darkness.

When Raph came back, Leo was sleeping on the floor across the door.

“He refused to go to bed and he wanted to stay there to be first to see you coming back. I drugged him, but he was too heavy to drag his ass upstairs,” Mikey said, spread on a chair. Leo must have been very high maintenance all the way Raph was gone. How much he failed again downed on Raph as he picked up Leo’s sleeping form. He was still whimpering in his sleep. How could he have left them down?

“So, where is he?”Baby Orange asked, tiredly. Seeing how troubled Raph was, Mikey straightened up, narrowing his eyes. “Do you find him?” he asked in a low voice.

Leonardo stirred in his sleep and Raph didn’t answer, climbing up the stairs. He went straight to Leo’s room and landed him very softly on his bed. Mikey had followed him, leaning on the doorframe, his sharp eyes studying Raph.

“That motherfucker won’t come back, right? Leo turned him down and he couldn’t take it?”

Raph’s bottom lip trembled as he struggled to find the more comforting answer for Baby.

“Big Red is the big brother now,” Raphael said, hugging Mikey hard to make the abandonment better. “Don’t cry, big brother is here.”

***  
When Leo woke up, it was with still a gloominess lingering in the back of his groggy mind. Then, the memory came back and realization struck him hard. He got into an argument with Donatello after he got shot and then, Don had refused to come home. 

Leonardo ran a hand down his face, thinking back of how Don had looked at him with disdain and his chest tightened painfully. Indeed, he may have not been very tactful in his way to voice what he was holding back for years. Don wasn’t obviously ready to get deal with so much reproach at once. The fact was Leo had been the most assertive he could be, because, damn, he had been so close to just following Donnie in his suite. 

It would have been easiest to get dragged to Don’s luxurious new penthouse and get fucked senseless as Don seemed so itchy to do. He didn’t remember Don showing so much eagerness ever that in the last days. Sex would have felt very good, beyond good, incredible. Sex with Don what the absolute best. Donatello couldn’t get Leo’s feelings, he got his body very well, stroking and rubbing all his love spots. It was also that having sex with someone you truly have feelings for was making it better, as cliché of a reason it was. Leo didn’t refuse the sex because he wasn’t horny, neither not having feelings. He refused it because he knew the aftermaths of accepting.

Leo knew Don enough to guess he would have ended heartbroken again after having been used like a sex toy. Don could have said Leonardo wasn’t only a quick fuck, so far the facts spoke against this statement. Leon knew his brother thought of himself as genuine and in a way, Don was. Donatello loved nothing in the world, except money and his brothers. Sometimes Leo felt Don loved more the position of power he had in their family than the family itself. But still, he kind of loved them. With Leo, he felt a great deal of lust in addition. A lust that obviously Don was fighting, but recently failed to. It had been to expect, with all the teasing Leo had made him gone through. Maybe for Don, to fail to control himself was enough to be called love, but for Leo, it wasn’t. Love has nothing to do with that.

Donatello would have fucked him hard until the sun rose, gave him basic aftercare, and then continued to treat him as his employee as he did after the Champagne night. Then, to be sure Leo stayed eager to spread his legs, he would buy him stuff as diligently as a client would tip his favorite stripper. 

Leo had refused in order to protect himself and his feelings, despite how much someone he couldn’t drop longing for him. 

He had said no to Don to not be heartbroken and alone and still, he had cried so much, his eyes were still sensitive, he realized while rubbing them. It was like Don, despite never being lovable, was still managing to monopolize his heart.

The idea Don took a bullet for him, didn’t even mention it, too carried away was making his insides twitch. Leo brushed his lips, remembering the kiss they shared. Donatello had been unusually sweet. Maybe he really got scared they could die and wanted to at least let out half of a feeling? 

Leo had used the opportunity Don seemed reachable to tell him what he truly thought and made his point across once and for all. He was tired of their dance of pull and push and he really wanted to just rip the bandage off since Donnie was listening. Now, he thought of himself as foolish. He already knew that Don couldn’t redeem himself, so why did he try again to get through his thick head?

Don could have been sweet and almost loving, he still had looked at Leo like he was a piece of trash right after. Instead of stopping for a moment, thinking about it, and questioning himself, he had looked at Leo as he didn’t even know him at all. Leonardo would have rather taken the heat of an argument. That empty cold gaze had so upset Leo that he had been too overwhelmed by pain to drag Don home.

Why did Leo had hoped that Don would be shocked by his words and then, try to understand Leo’s point of view?

Why did he forget that with Don it was his way or the highway?

It still hurt like a bitch. 

But Don was hurt too, and his physical wounds were more important than Leo’s shattered heart. Don was walking straight and so, maybe his wound wasn’t that bad. Raph had left to get Don back. Mikey had been right; if there was someone that Don wouldn’t ever dare to be angry with, it was Raphael. He looked down at himself; he was naked and he supposed Mikey had undressed him. Leo pulled himself out of the bed and snatched the lilac shirt from a drawer. 

Donatello could have glared at him and act like a total asshole again, Don wasn’t someone Leo could stop caring for. 

Don had taken a bullet, removed the bracelet, and told Leo he was free. Maybe, maybe something in what he said had stirred Don? Maybe Don could change?

Why was he hoping that again? Don just got back at his senses and Mikey had been right? If it wasn’t Don getting shot, Leo should be happy. He tried very hard to focus on that sentence, repeating in himself he should be happy, but he still felt a hollow pit in his chest. 

He needed to see Donatello. That numb ache he felt couldn’t fade if he didn’t lock eyes with his brother, to forget about the icy glare of the last night. Just thinking again about it was giving Leo the chills. He had to forget about it and be nice to his brother. He needed to tell Don he was sorry; he did say terrible things, and even more so considering the circumstances. Leo had been sincere, but unnecessarily harsh. Donatello wasn’t someone holding a grudge. 

Yesterday he had been soul crushed, but today, his optimistic side and fighting spirit were taking over. Why did he cry so much and alarmed Mikey and Raph the night before? Don gave him a hard look and walked away...if Don had been hurt, it wouldn’t have been that biggy. 

In that story, both of them had overreacted, probably because of weeks of very thick sexual tension.

Leo had given up on them being lovers, because he doubted his brother could change his nature. It wasn’t because they couldn’t be partners, that they needed to hate each other, right? They were still brothers and after how afraid he had been for Don, Leo knew now that despite his many flaws, Don didn’t deserve to be kicked out. Donatello was doing his best, considering his personality. 

The first thing he had to do was to assure Don was feeling fine and then, he would apologize for how harsh he had been. Maybe when Don will feel better, his brother will think this over, understand what Leo meant and they will work through this?

That was Leo’s job, Donnie himself entrusted him with, when he was at his private school. Leo had to make sure everyone was respecting the rules and schedules and everything and everyone must be neat. Leo had to make sure they had nutritive, healthy food without exceeding the budget set by Don. Mikey and Leo’s grades must be good and, if Leo had some spare time, he had to be sure they were all truly happy, like a Pleasantville featured in a Bronx Ramen Shop. All of this had made Leo someone who usually tried to look through the good side and find a solution, not problems. 

He stopped quickly by the bathroom before, to look critically at his appearance and take some tap water. His tongue was feeling thick and he supposed Mikey crushed some sleeping pills in the herbal tea he choked down his throat. He looked like shit, with red-rimmed eyes, but he guessed that at that point, his look wouldn’t matter to Donatello anyway. Leo didn’t feel, neither had the time to groom himself.

As he drank some water, he tried to pull himself and prepare himself for the talk he would have with Don. His eyes zeroed on the bite mark. It shows no hint to heal anytime soon. Don had bitten him that deep. With a thrill, he remembered how soft Don had nibbled it a few hours ago, probably careful to not burst it again. His fingers grazed it, trying to relive the sensation. In his plastron, his cock twitched and he scolded at his image. Lust was uncalled at this moment. 

He turned his wrist still, studying it as it was a foreign object or an alien limb, in his amazement he was now free. Of course, now the bracelet couldn’t hurt him most of the day, thanks to Usagi, but the fact Don removed willingly was very meaningful. Leo couldn’t still believe it. He dressed in the shirt, to at least cover the bitemark to not scare Raph off or make Don feel uncomfortable. So many things had happened so fast, he couldn’t wrap his mind around it. 

When he stepped out of his room his first look was for Donnie’s bedroom door. It was shut, as usual. He went downstairs when he heard a knock at the door. It was coming from the front door and curious to see mutant customers, a thing that had never happened before, Leo opened the door.

“We are closed,” Leo said. What time was it anyway?

“We aren’t customers,” one of them, a bull, said. “We are here to get Master Donatello’s stuff.”

Leo felt as a train hit him in full chest.

“Come again?” he asked, his voice thick with anguish.

“Master Donatello said he had some priceless items and clothes. He wants them back at his new home,” the other one, a moose, added.

“His home is here! I wouldn’t let you touch his stuff!” Leo exclaimed, pulling his knife up. His eyes zeroed in surprise; it wasn't his usual blade. It was a plastic knife, a replica, used for training when he was a child. Who dared to take his blade? 

_Mikey,_ his mind said. _You were so out of it, he probably got scared you hurt yourself with it._

“Master Dona…”

“I don’t care!" Blade or not, they would step into Don's room over his dead body. Anyway, he has a few more, scattered in hidden spots around the house. "He could eat a dick! If he wants his rag, he would grow some balls and take them himself!” Leo spat, bristled like a cat. 

“What is happening?” Mikey shouted running down the stairs. Seeing the mutants he stopped dead on his track. 

“Mikey! Those people try to get away with Don’s belongings! Go wake Raphael!” Leonardo knew that Mikey hated Raph to be treated like a Doberman, but maybe Raph’s bulky figure would be enough for them to back off without Leo stabbing them on a Sunday morning on the doorstep.

At the same moment, Leo was pushed against the wall so hard, he heard a crack as he dropped the useless knife.

"Don't touch him!" Mikey yelled, jumping on the bull about five times his size, digging his nails in the flesh, and sinking his teeth in the thick neck. 

The bull struggled and twisted, managing to get free by throwing Mikey on the ground.

"Mikey!" Leo gave a hard knee on the moose ball to get free. He was hurt and dizzy by the hard shove, but too driven by adrenaline to care. "Don't touch him! Don would skin you if your hurt his little brother!"

"He told us to get all that has monetary value to him, whatever it takes."

Leo was so shocked by that statement that he stayed mute a moment. "Monetary valuable" was so Donatello, the Don he hated.

"Babies." Raph was there staring at his brothers. Mikey was wincing, trying to get up. He was visibly hurt and Leo supposed he didn't look any better. "Don't hurt my babies."

Raph was getting more red than the bandana he didn't have the time to tie. 

Leo went on enough missions with Raph to know he was about to snap. When Raph was losing it, it wasn't a pretty sight. But Leo wasn’t caring at the moment. What mattered was that those guys didn't leave with Don's stuff.

Deep inside of him, he was afraid that if what was monetary valuable left their home, Don would never come back.

"Are you the one called Raphael?" The moose turned to his teammate. "The Boss told us to not hurt him; he's the Boss brother."

If Leo could be more upset than he was already, he would. He could see Mikey's devastated face and anger flared up in him.

"We are his brothers too," he hissed.

But both ignored him, and they asked Raph where Don's bedroom, bathroom, and office were. 

"Don’t reply to them, Raph. Kick them out!"

But Raph, instead of punching them, like he had seemed about to do, a few minutes ago, walked the distance and took Leo into a tight embrace.

"Raph is big brother, now," he murmured softly, patting Leo's shell. 

It dawned on him; Raph was drilled to the core to obey Don's command. Last night, Raph had found Donnie. Donatello had probably told him about his intentions to leave their house and Raph had acted as he was, Don’s lap dog. 

Why did Leonardo entrust him with that? Anyway, the whole thing was Donnie and Leonardo's business.

They went upstairs to empty Don's room, making many trips in front of him. It made Leo even madder to think that those outsiders got to search Don's room that his own brothers didn't have the right to step in. 

Leonardo cursed and struggled, held down by Raph 150 heavier pounds. It took about forty minutes, Donnie being a wealthy bastard. 

They were now emptying Don's office and Leo felt how sacrilegious it was as they walked holding Leo's gift, some precious wine bottles. It was probably a mistake; Don never drank it to please Leo. It would be ironic he did, now.

"Don't...don't give him the gun."

Donatello having a gun always made Leo nervous. Don could be composed and cold-blooded, he was still someone who was too unconcerned by life and death to get a lethal weapon. What if Don kills himself?

Leonardo wasn't sure why he still cared for Donnie after he and Mikey got ditched so hard.

Mikey was in a corner, sobbing his soul out and Leo truly hated Don for a moment. That motherfucker couldn't stomach having been told no. Because Leo had turned down a sex proposition, Donnie rejected them. Well, not Raph, but Leo and Mikey. Michelangelo did nothing wrong and still, Donnie treated him as he was disposable, expendable, knowing very well Mikey's self-esteem issues. 

It turned Leo back in a blind rage. He bites Raph's wrist hard for him to let go. Raph yelped but held tighter to the point Leo was dizzy from lack of air.

"Leo, please, stop fighting Raph," Mikey pleaded. "That asshole doesn't deserve you. He never had. Let them bring his junk, who cares?"Mikey dragged himself on his knees, begging Leonardo. "I'm not crying for that son of a bitch. I'm crying for you."

Leo released his jaw to try to suck in a choked breath. Slider didn't have a mean bite as snapping or softshell turtle can, but still, Raph was bleeding and Leo was overwhelmed with shame. At the same, his pride came back, he didn’t want to give himself in spectacle for those guys reporting it to Donatello.

Anyway, it was too late. They were leaving as he could guess by the sound of a running motor. 

Raph was getting up and Leo gasped to get more air as his lungs were not crushed anymore. 

But it was still with a weight he felt heavier than Raph that he went upstairs.

Don's door was wide open, free to any curious look. It was something so odd for the, used to the door shut and the wall surroundings Don. For a long time, Leonardo had wondered about the secret that could be hidden into Donatello’s lair, as they called it. It was odd to enter, now, his owner having abandoned it, like an empty shell. He barely had the time to see it, the last time Don dragged him there. No, he wouldn’t think of that, now.

It was colder than cold, now, the priceless paintings, the only spot of colors, gone. The wardrobe was open, showing off its emptiness now that the tailored suits Donatello favored were gone. The suits he always made a matching one tailored for Leonardo. Leo closed it in a jerky move as he wanted to lock the past and its memories. He turned toward the bed to do the same with the drawers.

His heart sank as he discovered the content, left as invaluable by the two mutants. Pictures of them, drawing of Mikey and, stunned because he had forgotten having made those, some cards he drew and wrote for Don. They were classed by holiday, each tied with a very neat blue ribbon. He took the one for Valentine's Day. When did he stop to do those? When he was 13 years old, maybe. He did remember Donnie told him it wasn't appropriate for a brother to send Valentine cards to his brother. So, why did he keep them? Even if he knew he would probably only get over upset about it, Leo pulled one out randomly and opened it. He had only a blurry memory from having drawn and wrote that card, but from his clumsy handwriting, he could tell he must have been around 11 years old. 

_“To Don,_   
_I know you have no time for holiday, and I don’t think you have a girlfriend at your school, but Valentine's day is about any kind of love and I want you to know I love you, Leo.”_

Leonardo clenched the card on his chest, biting his lips to not make any more sobbing sound that could alert his brothers. He has no idea what Don had thought of that card. Donatello never gave any as he dreaded that any writing piece could be held against him in the future. Carefully, Leo put the card down. 

With a trembling hand, he reached for Mikey’s drawings and turned them in his hands as they were precious relics. Every Mikey's drawing had the date on the back, written with Donatello's elegant handwriting. One arose his attention and, this time, Leo bit his fingers to hold back his tears. It was a drawing that Mikey had made of the four of them. The drawing had been made when Mikey was around seven years old, but each of them was very easily identifiable. Mikey was riding Raph’s shell with a cowboy hat. Leo and Don were sitting on the couch, holding hands and looking fondly at Raph and Mikey playing on the ground as they were their children. It was probably unconsciously the impression Mikey had of them. He glanced quickly at the others, as he was afraid he couldn’t stomach those memories. At some moment, Mikey had stopped to give Donnie drawings, as Leo had stopped to write cards. They had been tired to give without never receiving, not even the reassurance their love was needed. 

And still, Don had kept them all. He looked at the drawing more closely, finding tiny holes in the corner as it had been pinned on a whole and his legs gave out. 

It was too much. To find out that Don had been much more sensitive than he believed was the last straw for Leonardo, after the stress of the last twelve-hour. 

He dropped on Don's bed, crying to the point he was too tired to continue. At some point, he was aware of the look of his remaining brothers on him and he raised his head.

He couldn't have a breakdown, now. Mikey and Raph needed him. Raph could call himself the big brother, his mind was too fragile to bear too stressful situations. And Mikey, Mikey needed to be closely watched and recomforted after having been dumped by what was probably his paternal figure. Mikey already suffered through so many adversities and has so many issues.

Poor Raph and Mikey just got hurt in the radius blast of Don's wounded ego. By protecting his heart, Leo had broken the whole family. A deep sense of responsibility overwhelmed him. 

They would power through it. Anyway was it not what he told Donatello he wanted?

“Are you fine Leo? He trashed you pretty hard?” Mikey asked, his eyes full of tears and frightened. The kind of look he didn’t want Mikey to have. It recalled too much that time they got assaulted. Leo had made that day the mental promise he would never let Mikey down again. 

“I’m fine. It was only a hard shove. I had seen worse,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady and comforting. The fact was it hurt, but he would swallow some painkiller that at least that pain would dim. "What are you doing, Raph?” He wiped tears away from his eyes, to not worsen Raphael’s anxieties. “You are not respecting your routine,” he said with a kind smile. “I’m not as stiff as some may be, but you are about to be late for work. You do love your new work, right?”

“I think Raph could drive to work by himself, just fine,” Mikey said, with a hesitating voice. Leo knew what that meant. Mikey was afraid Leo was itchy to go to the hotel and have a fight with Don. Leonardo knew himself enough to know he had to calm down before. Anyway, in a few hours, he would be at work, too. “Maybe we should call sick? Or maybe we should drop that place?” Mikey suggested. “Don clearly didn’t give a fuck about us, not even as a pawn,” he snarled.

“We will go to work as planned,” Leo stated. “Not for Donatello, but for us, to grow as a person.” Leo surprised himself to be able to say that name without a flinch as he felt his chest throbbing painfully. “You were right Mikey, I asked for this and needed this.”

Mikey didn’t seem that much convinced, but has a weak smile. It was a beginning. 

Leonardo had to be strong for them, even if that meant lying for the moment. Anyway, he knew where that son of a bitch of Donnie worked, right? Eventually, they would talk. Don could dismiss them, Leo knew Don was far too jealous to not come to see him at the White Rabbit, right? Donatello could be mad, he couldn’t wipe away a home and a family he had cared for twenty years. It was only his ego hurt, he couldn’t be serious. And if he tried to, Leo was there to drag him back in line.

Meanwhile, they would learn to survive without him. He would show Don he has what it take to be a leader.

****  
Donatello was in his office. It was Sunday and nobody called him for work, but since he was there, why not? Let's be productive. That hotel was a mess and Don exactly knew how to make it work. But before, he had that damn survey data to organize. 

His office was part of his suite in the Penthouse, with an independent door, for employees to not step in his intimacy. It was five times bigger than his former office. This is where he had met the doc Big Maman had called for him, when she had seen him coming out from the elevator. Don had refused to be touched by the doctor, a big gorilla, but had accepted some codeine, just to be sure physical pain didn’t slow him down while working. Just some painkillers and he would be alright and ready to go.

He untied his necktie, feeling hot and he puffed some smoke, irate. It wasn’t going fast enough and briefly, he wondered if he could hire a secretary? What about April? She was useless there with that imaginary movie of her? No, April wasn't a good idea. She would keep talking about someone and Don would end by throwing her out of the window. Then, the hotel would get a bad reputation. But yes, a secretary would be nice. Maybe he could have another office for her across his?

Big Mama told him he could do anything he wanted from the moment he had collected the survey answer and as a platinum card holder, he was also the Boss. He sneered thinking no one got such a fast promotion ever. The day before, he was only a personal assistant and now he was already holding all the strings, people talking to him with a respect that was good to hear. Big Mama seemed fine to have someone doing her job as she mated with her male employees. She was a weird woman, but her hotel was like a new playground Don just got. He would make that place profit skyrocket. 

A knock at the door interrupted his train of thought.

“Come in,” he spat. 

The Bull and the Moose, what were their names, again? Bill and Ted, were back and for a moment, something almost bubbled up from his chest. Snarling, he pushed the feeling down and locked it.

“We’re back, Boss.” Ted scratched his head. “ We have twelve trunks full of your stuff.”

“Good.” Don controlled any beat of his heart, forcing it into submission. “Do you have any trouble?”

“One of them fought us a lot. I swear if the big one wasn’t crushing him on the floor he would have gouged our eyes out.”

Don didn’t ask which of them he was, he knew and didn’t care, really. It was the one who said he was toxic. He should be glad Don wasn’t around anymore. Why did he fight them? Don was sure the little one had been very happy to get rid of him, to give fully into his mom-complex.

Bill had a chuckle. “Sure thing he would have done if he had a real knife!” Don looked up for his screen for a moment, disconcerted. Real knife? But…he shut down himself, refusing to even say the name in his mind. It was some details he didn’t care to know about. The return of his precious belongings was the only thing that mattered.

“I did a really good job to knock him out, I may have cracked his shell or something” Bill continued, boasting and Don’s nails dug in his chair arm, before relaxing his hands. No feelings, he would not have any feelings anymore. He had once and it almost destroyed him completely.

“I mean it’s my policy to not hurt too bad cute bitch,” Bill continued. “But the Boss order is worth better than a hot bootie.” 

“My order was to not fight Raphael, since you will both have ended up killed,” Don corrected coldly. “Nevermind. I want the clothes to be all ironed and send them to me on a hanging pole,” he demanded. “Do you have my original Van Gogh and my numismatic collection?”

They brought up a few trunks that weren’t clothes and all his valuable belongings were there. Don could have asked to get back some of his lavish gifts but had decided that it was better for him to never see anything related to his former life. Anyway, the tenant of that place could pawn the jewels and stuff to feed Raphael, Don’s single brother. The brother who prevented him a few hours ago from jumping into an icy river by arriving just at the right moment Don was about to lose himself.

His heart missed a beat despite himself seeing the wine bottle that was just pulled. He hadn’t the time to brace himself, but he quickly composed himself, even if he was sure nothing had shown on his face. But controlling the body, the face, the tone, wasn’t enough, anymore. He wanted to bed his mind totally to his wills. The only thing he would feel from now was satisfaction at a job well done and counting his savings. 

“It was a mistake, I didn’t need that,” he uttered disdainfully. “But you can have it as a tip.” He pulled out his phone and stared blankly at the screen for a moment as Bill and Ted thanked him loudly. 

“But I have another, much more important job for you. Do you think you could remember the turtle who fought you? I mean what he looks like?” Just to be sure it wasn’t the tenant's younger brother, Don felt forced to add. “6 foot tall, with black eyes and red stripes on his face.” He compelled his brain to not picture him as he described him. 

“I will never forget a cute and fierce bitch like that,”Bill exclaimed before troubling himself. “But don’t tell Big Mama.”

“Right,” Don replied, hoping there wasn’t a single hint of a strain on his plastered smile. “But for me, make sure that turtle never gets close to me. Never.” He gazed intensively at them to be sure they mark his words. “That turtle works here.”

“Why not kick him out, then, Boss?”

Yes, Don could. He didn’t need them for the mission. Then, he would be able to get them out of his life forever. But Raph needed their income to live, he decided. Of course, he could take Raph with him at the hotel, but Raph was used to the other place and the other people. If something good must be said about the other people, it was that they would care for Raph. 

Anyway, was he not toxic for Raph too?

“My business,” Don said, with a wave of the hand to dismiss them. He has no time to explain himself to such low employees.

They rushed out to leave him be and Don finally stood up to pick up his stuff and organize it. He needed a clear and neat place to work more efficiently. To be sure to not even think while doing it, because to think could lead to the feeling he swore to never feel again, he put on the Winter of Vivaldi and he felt he breathed slightly better as the music filled the room. It was a piece of very inspirational music and it fit his lifestyle; healthy and sharp in mind and body.


	34. Moonlight Sonata

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Nerds for Moon inspo.  
> Thaks to Sundayeyes for beta  
> Thanks to Shelly for fanart!

Mikey sighed at the now familiar display. Leo was on his balcony, drinking some coffee or what he wanted Mikey to believe it was. Mikey wouldn't smell the Tequila or whatever liquor Leo poured in it, in order to fool them that everything was fine and he wasn’t trying to cope with his heartbreak using alcohol. 

It had been five days since Don left their house and, since then, Leo acted like he was a Disneyland mascot. Always a faint smile on his lips, speaking in a firm but kind voice, sometimes pushing the acting to the point he let out a chuckle that sounded like shattered glass to Mikey’s ears. He encouraged them to resume their routine, opened the shop at lunchtime as before, and trained and cleaned as usual.

Furthermore, he was very efficient in doing his chores. He was an effective waiter for the Ramen Shop and the whole house was spotless from the hours Leo spent cleaning. From an outsider’s point of view, everything was peachy. Leonardo didn’t even speak of Donatello. Leo seemed to be fine, but Mikey knew that the great deal of time Leo spent cleaning the shop windows and floor was more to fool them and impress Donnie if that son of bitch decided to come back than him being fine.

But Mikey knew Leo too damn well after a whole life tied up with him.

This is why when Leo had stormed into their house, howling like a wounded beast, Mikey had been deeply scared, and then, concerned. He had never seen Leo cry, and even less like that. What Leo had in common with the asshole with the purple bandana was that he was usually calm and not the one indulging in such despair. But then when Leo explained himself, it had made sense, Leo had a panic attack, triggered by Don having been shot, just after Leo turned him down. That Leo had failed to bring Don back spoke loudly about how Leonardo wasn’t in his right mind. The feeling of guilt at having dumped Don, wounded and alone in the dark had thrown him into a state of panic. 

Of course, Mikey wasn’t a motherfucking selfish bastard, totally insensitive like Don was. To know he got shot, and moreover, maybe because of that guy at the casino Don protected Mikey from had deeply shocked Michelangelo. To see Leo about to lose his mind in his grieving had given him a very upsetting impression too. 

To know Don released Leo just like that had been odd. The jerk wasn’t the kind of guy to just drop it. For a moment, Mikey had feared Don was indeed in agony and he had been mad at Leo for not insisting Don get in the car. All of it because Donatello glared at him? It was a weak excuse, odd coming from Leo. But seeing how distraught Leo was and considering Don just left, Mikey understood their fight must have been pretty ugly after Leonardo refused to sleep at the hotel. In a way, Mikey couldn’t help but be proud of Leo; about standing his ground and refusing to be Don’s playdate.

Even if in himself, his heart was racing in fear, for once he had been the one comforting Leonardo. The bracelet had been removed, it was a good thing Mikey said. Don would be pissy a few days and come back, he had reassured. At the moment, Mikey really believed Don was too much into Leo to stay away for more than two days and so, he had been genuine when he had comforted his brother. It had lit up Leo’s courage and then, he had wanted to get Donnie back.

Leo wasn’t in a state to drive, anyway, even if that prick’s way of thinking was a mystery for Mikey, he felt Donatello wouldn’t stand to see Leo after his refusal. To send Raph had made sense. Mikey was positive that if someone could bring Donnie back, it was Raph. Raphael would do his kicked puppy’s eyes and Donatello would melt, even if he was as cold as an iceberg.

Raphael was just so endearing. Donatello could be evil, Raph was too pure for him to not be reached by it.

It had warmed Mikey all over that Raph was ready to step in and act like the big brother he was. Raphael was like Leonardo, wasted leader potential, they were too submissive to Donatello. It had always driven him crazy. If Mikey was as skilled and as good a person as Raph and Leo were, he wouldn’t let himself be dragged around by Don like Splinter did too. 

Donatello deserved to be told no and kicked down off his high horse. Maybe that refusal was what he needed to grow up and turn a new leaf. Mikey wasn’t naive enough to bet money on that, but a guy could hope, right?

While Raph had been away, drugging Leo had been necessary. First, Mikey dreaded Leo would decide to fuck it and follow Raph. He would be more a hindrance than anything. Don was far too proud of a motherfucker to follow the guy that just told him no. Then, to see Leo so desperate took too much of a toll on Mikey himself. Leo had eagerly drunk the three glasses of wine Mikey had given him to “relax” with sleeping pills in each of them. Forty minutes later, he was snoring, knocked out by the pills, and from so much crying.

Mikey then waited for Raph and Don’s return with a pounding heart. When Don would step into the restaurant and see Leo asleep across the door, Don would pick him up bridal style, whatever argument they had and hurt he was and set their fight in one of their rooms. Maybe from there, after he got the truth spat in his face, Don would change, but... 

But when Raph had come back, his head down and red-rimmed eyes Mikey’s heart had sunk. He wasn’t fond of Donatello, but he knew it would be hard on his brothers to live without his slender shadow breathing down their neck. Mikey wouldn’t miss Donnie at all, but he knew Raph and Leo, both morons, would.

Mikey had let himself be consoled by Raph, but Mikey wasn’t the one sad. Raph needed to be comforted and this is why he gave back the hug. Not because he was crying!

For the same reason, he let Raph put him in bed and held his hand until he fell asleep with a wishful thought:

Maybe...maybe Leo would move on and accept to live by himself and everything would be fine.

The Sunday after those guys left with Don’s junk, Leo had pulled himself together more quickly that he had expected. Mikey had hoped Leo was already moving on and was ready to drop the mission and their crazy criminal lifestyle to focus on the Ramen shop. Mikey didn’t voice it, but the fact was that even though he had looked forward to working at the Nexus, he now dreaded returning to the casino. It wasn’t only because of the rude human customer. He had a dream about the sex-junkie squirrel and something about it filled him with apprehension. Raoul could be a party dude and the others too, but he didn’t at all feel like partying too much if that meant being devoured by the remorse of lying to his brothers afterward. 

The fact was that Mikey knew he was weak and a part of him wanted to flee the temptation. Right now, the things were too much of a mess and he wasn’t feeling steady enough. So, if Leo called the mission off and said they would focus on the Ramen Shop, Mikey would actually be relieved. He was a decent cook and they would be less wealthy, but probably saner. Saner sounded good.

They had been so choked by Don, maybe they could be happy, finally free from his oppressive presence and lead an average life. Mikey still had more than the $150,000 of what he stole from the safe. With that, they could make some renovations to their restaurant or something. Maybe, they could start over and start a new path. Maybe Mikey could even finish his highschool online and go to a community college or something. Leo was smart. With the money, Leo could go to the University and study something that interested him. The poor guy never got to live according to his own taste. Leo had been denied having an existence, he barely shared any personal ambitions or dreams. But just because he didn’t talk about them that didn’t mean they didn’t exist.

But Leonardo didn’t call the mission off. It seemed it was only the prospect of going to work and seeing Donatello in a few hours that drove Leo to compose himself. 

Mikey had no idea what had occurred between them. He even didn’t know if Leo had seen Don at all. Leo had left him at the Casino, all fidgety, but at 1:00 am, Leo had come to fetch him, stiff and his lips in a thin line, and walking with a strained step. Whether he saw Don or not, it didn’t end well. Leo was so damn focused on looking normal and forcing himself to seem like he was listening to Mikey’s answers to his questions about how it went, Leo actually didn’t notice Mikey was high again. 

It was sad that Leo cared genuinely, but was in fact much too troubled to see what was around him. It was also kinda sad that not even a single time last Sunday, Donnie had stepped into the casino to check on him. But it wasn’t half as sad as the display Mikey had in front of him, Leo drinking whiskey from a coffee mug, staring into the distance, hiding his tears from his own brothers. 

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Leo had acted as if everything was fine and even that he had a project, measuring the conference room and rambling about tatami. Today was Thursday, and Leo obviously felt strongly about seeing that motherfucker again perhaps. 

Leo had always been second best in their household. The second best-barehanded fighter, the second-best cook, the second brain. He had also always been the second-best to control his feelings. But if Leo was almost as good as Raph and Mikey to fight or cook, Don was eons better than Leo to pretend everything was fine. No wonder he got shot and Leo didn't notice. The guy had driven shutting down feelings to the level of fine art.

Leo could smile, but his eyes were empty as if they were painted on his face like a creepy porcelain doll. 

Don't get him wrong. Mikey didn't want to see Leo cry. He does appreciate his brother's effort to pull himself together. But Leo was doing it for Mikey and Raph's sake. In private, away from his sibling’s stares, Leonardo was probably having a meltdown over his breakup. It pissed Mikey off to no end because now, Leo was cutting himself off from them. Leonardo didn't quite forbid Mikey to enter his bedroom, but in a way, he made it pretty clear he didn't want to be bothered in there. That was very new, Leo always shared everything with Mikey. He never got “territorial” with him, because he always thought of Mikey as an extension of himself. 

Now, Mikey was a hindrance to Leo and had to leave his big brother to his private space. His bedroom was the place Leo could drop his smiling big brother's mask to mourn his lover, as unworthy as that motherfucking bastard Donatello was and it was making Michelangelo so mad. 

Mikey hated that Leo was playing neutral and unreachable as Don did in front of them. Leonardo was far too sensitive to be a robot like Don was. Anyway, despite his efforts, Leo wasn't convincing at all. Even Raph caught on to the drinking. The poor guy was hanging around in the kitchen the most, leaning over the liquor cabinet to prevent Leo from going in there. But he couldn’t stay awake all night and Leo could be a sneaky bitch when he wanted to. 

Raph’s more “adult” behavior was the best thing in their actual predicament. They had decided that since Raph wasn’t disabled, he could have more freedom. In Mikey’s opinion, Raph should have even more. He had no idea why, but Leo still insisted Raph keep the kind of schedule he had for years under Don’s dictatorship. Of course, it wasn’t as set in stone to every minute, and well, Raph now was allowed to drive to work alone, but still, Mikey believed Raph could be set free. Raph could look after himself just fine since he was already doing his best to look after them.

Raph was trying to be supportive by doing what he did best, Captain Cuddle cake. Every opportunity he got, he took Mikey and Leo into a hug. Leo accepted them, but thankfully Raph didn’t remark on how strained Leo’s smile turned when he was squeezed in the big arms. During the last years, Raphael never cuddled with Leo and if his brother noticed Raph treating him differently out of nowhere, he never mentioned it. Mikey supposed that when Raph stopped touching Leo, as innocent as his touch had been, it was because he had heard or seen something he shouldn’t have since it was unlikely Donnie ever confessed anything. But the fact was that Raph had started to hug Leo again was a sure sign there was something wrong, that something had changed in their family dynamic. 

Leonardo stayed stiff in the embrace a moment before reciprocating it. But Leo was reciprocating out of duty, to not hurt Raphael’s feelings more than anything. It wasn’t healthy and Mikey wanted to do something about it, but Mikey wasn’t healthy either, so he was feeling kinda hypocritical. 

“It’s about time to go to work…” Mikey said lowly. Why did he sound so down? “Or do you want to call it quits?”

Leo barely turned his head. 

“I know and I’m almost ready. I’m just finishing my coffee,” he lied with a straight face. “And this is the last time I’ll tell you, Mikey. We are not quitting. This isn’t about the mission anymore, but I do think we can learn something from working there and make new connections. Besides, it brings in good money.”

Speaking of money was so Donnie-like, Mikey opened his mouth to protest, but Leo turned toward him, to gaze at him earnestly. “And Raph does love his job,” he said before bringing the cup to his lips, knowing that just like that he shut up Mikey for good. It was indeed true Raph loved his job and it allowed him some freedom after more than 20 years being Don’s puppet. Mikey wouldn’t remove this opportunity of growth from his brother. But Mikey saw right through Leo’s white lies and excuses. Leo didn’t care about the mission or the money, but dropping it would be dropping Don and that wasn’t something Leo was ready to do. 

“Aren’t you starting to have a crush on your co-worker,” Mikey faked belief. Leo didn’t talk that much about his last shift on Sunday, but the little he did was about how Usagi was a nice person. “You should invite him home, one day,” Mikey trailed off. Maybe if he acted better about totally erasing Don from their life, Leo would be better? Leo wasn’t talking about him, either, but his uncanny shadow was still weighing on them, darkening Leo’s face. Mikey wanted to exorcise them from it. It wasn’t enough that Leo didn’t mention him. Leo should not even let his mind linger on such a bastard that goes from loving him to acting like he never existed.“You never introduced me to any of your boyfriends since that basketball guy.”

“He wasn’t my boyfriend.” Leo took a sip and despite his faint smile, Mikey felt it was a failure Leo hadn’t dropped the mug yet. “He wasn’t even my friend, period. If he had been, he wouldn’t have disappeared like that.”

“I’m sure you considered giving him a shot, right?” Mikey had walked the distance between them to nudge at him. “He seemed to have some sexual drive and a fat cock, I mean, for a human.”

“Mikey,” Leo scolded lightly, but for a brief moment, a gleam of genuine amusement lit in his black irises. “I wasn’t like that, you know that.”

“What? Horny?” It was true that in their early teens, Leo would act totally oblivious and not even interested in knowing more about sex. Even when they started touching, Leo wasn’t sensual in the slightest. His natural reserved nature and the rape had driven him to not be curious at all. How Don, so cold, had started lusting madly for someone that wasn’t even trying to seduce anyone like Leonardo was beyond him. But after Don had laid a hand on him, it had been like an adrenaline shot and Leo had made a stunning 180. “I confirm, you weren’t that a great fuck,” Mikey joked. “It reminds me of that meme of the two bottom gay dudes together.”

“What’s time is it?” Leo pulled out his phone slowly like he was afraid of the device and Mikey guessed why. Leo dreaded having it rubbed in his face that Don hadn’t called him. Indeed, by the face Leo pulled, Don didn’t call. Mikey had no idea if Leo actually tried to reach Don. He bet Leo did, maybe not over and over again like Don did during their three days off, but at least a few times. Did Leo type desolate and apologetic texts? How could Don stay insensitive to Leo’s distress? How could one turn so cold after having cared for them and loved Leo so much?

The answer was easy; it was because as Mikey always knew Don was emotionally disabled. Raph not being able to talk so much, in Michelangelo’s book, was less a handicap than being a fucking robot like Donatello was. Mikey always knew that Don’s caring big brother act was only a facade to look good, since looking good was one of Donnie’s obsessions. It had also been a way to manipulate them and do whatever the fuck he wanted. But Mikey had never been fooled, well, not since he was eight years old and Don had told him straight to his face he was a disappointment and also, a shame for Leo who worked so hard making him study for that science test Mikey got a D on. Leo had fought Don that night, maybe for the first time, defending Mikey fiercely and asking Don to blame him if he wanted to blame someone but not Mikey.

“It was his birthday! He is a kid!” Leo had protested.”He was excited the whole week and well, yesterday I should have spent less time on icing the cake and made him study,”Leo admitted, riled up. "But birthdays happen once a year and science tests happen every month!”

“This is a poor excuse, Leonardo.” Mikey wasn’t in the room with them, crying in Raph’s arms, but he could picture Don’s stern expression by his clipped tone. “We all have birthdays and the world doesn’t stop spinning for that."

"He just turned eight! How can you be so insensitive and uncaring, Donnie? You didn't even wish our baby brother Happy Birthday yet!" Leo was so mad, even Raph was scared, chirping his distress as he had held Mikey tighter. "The first thing you did was jump on our school bags and search them."

"That is exactly because I care." Don had almost sounded angry, out of his usual cold self and it had been weird. Mikey had wondered what he looked like."I don't want for him the grim future that bad grades and a mutant appearance could lead to. I turned eight too and where would we be if I went out of my way for such a silly thing?" 

There was a slamming sound as either Leo or Don slammed their hand on the wall or the table. It seemed to have been Don, since Leo was mute. It was a point that Don couldn’t care about Mikey’s birthday, he didn’t care for his, either. But Leo spoke of Mikey as the kid Mikey was and a kid wasn’t something Don knew about. He never been one. 

There had been a moment of silence following. Mikey was sobbing very quietly, as Raph rocked him. Leo was taking the heat for him and, even if it had not been the first time, Don never got that angry.

"I don't want us to fight," Don had said, more composed. "That you are arguing with me at this moment is highly disappointing.” It must have been a critical hit for Leo who worked so hard to meet Donatello’s expectations. “I care for Mikey. Your grades are excellent, but even if they weren't, you have me.” He had marked a pause to let his words and their meaning sunk into Leo’s mind. “We both know working hard to be successful is normal to me and I will earn a lot of money," Don explained, emotionless. "How can Mikey raise a family of his own without a good job if his birthday is enough of a reason for slacking?"

And it had been then that Mikey knew the day after his 8th birthday that Don seemed to already be planning when Mikey would be out of the picture. Don saw a future with Leo, probably with Raph too, but not him. Mikey had to get a family of his own and it had been pretty clear Don didn’t think of sharing any of his dough with him.

Who could have guessed that ten years later, Don would have been the one stepping away from their family?

Following that fight, Mikey lost a good part of his motivation for school. He wasn’t in a hurry to get a degree and have to move. Leo turned sneaky to hide it from Don and their whole home atmosphere, already unhealthy turned definitively toxic.

Toxic, as Leo told Donnie he was.

Leo could be moody right now, but eventually, he would feel better. That Usagi guy must make a move, soon, Mikey decided. 

“It’s time to go to work,” Mikey stroked Leo’s jaw, having to stand on his tip-toes. “You are so lucky to work with a handsome guy,” he said. He had no idea what the guy looked like, but the important thing was to make Leo look at Usagi in a new light. Leo was ready for a rebound. It wasn’t like he had any fond memories of dates Don took him on. They had sex maybe three times? It could have been very epic, steamy sex, he heard rabbits were good lovers, right? “I’m sure Usagi is thinking the same thing about you.” Indeed, Leo was handsome.

“Stop it, Mike.” Leo turned away from the caress. “I’m not looking for a partner, right now, or a quick fuck.” Leonardo took a deep breath and Mikey wondered if Leo would name the big elephant in the room. Maybe it would be better that way. “I...I swore exclusivity to Donnie. I don’t want to break my vows.”

This was new and Mikey opened wide eyes. They went that far and he only knew that now? Knowing how Donatello was fiercely possessive, it made sense, but that wasn’t the issue. It wasn’t that Mikey minded that Leo wouldn’t have sex with him, anymore. It was that the dumbass was ready to wait for that jerk. But this was the first time in five days that Leo mentioned Donatello and Mikey decided to use the opportunity to pull off the band-aid. Maybe it was better that way, facing the truth rather than beating around the bush and pretending. 

“Maybe you did,” Mikey started carefully. “But I think that now, whatever you swore to each other came to an end, when he removed the bracelet. He said you were free. Free, Leo, F-R-E-E,”Mikey spelled. “That means you can date or sleep with everyone you want.” Leonardo was staring at him, expressionless and Mikey got annoyed.

“You don’t even have to sneak in the window!” he insisted. “You can walk through the door and make-out with whoever you want. Don can’t say a word about it anymore. You can do whatever you want...and…” Mikey hesitated a moment, but then decided it was only tough love from his end, for once. “It’s the same for him. He is free, too.”

“Donnie won’t fuck around!” Leo snarled in his face like a bristled cat. “How dare you say that!”

It was true Donatello wasn’t a promiscuous person. A turtle couldn’t have all the sins. Mikey still remembered his amazement to know that Don could feel lust. But Don did have sex with people other than Leo before and if that son of a bitch decided to cut off from them definitively, he would unleash all his sexual frustration pent up over the years on some girls like before. He would pay her to be allowed to be as rough as he wanted with them, without opening up or even having to pretend to care the next morning. Mikey weighed for a moment if Leo could stomach the truth and then, he decided the earlier Leo got the hint, the better.

“I doubt Donatello will ever find someone that means as much to him as you did,” he said softly, trying to make it more bearable but still, Leo’s face twisted painfully at the use of the past tense. “But Don isn’t someone to stay idle or do something as unproductive as moping after a breakup.” Mikey tried to dismiss how pale Leo turned. It needed to be done and it certainly was not poor Raph that would tell Leo the truth. “You see? He is already bossing the whole hotel. I know for sure there’s prostitution in there.” Mikey hoped Leo wouldn’t ask him how he knew, but his brother didn’t react at all. “As I said, I don’t think Don can love someone, but he can use his dick, and if that means he would feel slightly better about your break-up, then he definitely would.” 

The slap surprised him. It had been soft, so Mikey didn’t mind, not with Leo’s eyes full of tears like that. But maybe if Leo cried in his face, that would be the first step to healing. Mikey knew healing took time. There were people that needed one year to get over a breakup he read on the internet. Some people even needed more time than that. But when it was about a toxic relationship like Leo had with Donnie, Mikey kind of hoped it would be shorter. 

“I’m sorry, Mikey,” Leo apologized. “But I don’t want to talk about that.” He walked to his room, bumping Mikey’s shoulder on his way. “This is our business, Don’s and mine.”

“There's nothing left of “Don and you,” Mikey continued stubbornly. “And before you accuse me of saying that out of jealousy, I’m not.” Mikey didn’t care that Leo wasn’t with him, if that meant he would be with a loving, loyal and caring person. But thinking back on the time he got his first D, made him incensed and tenfold determined to try to force Leo into moving on. Mikey never held a grudge against Leonardo, because he knew his brother was a very kind and caring person. Leo’s soul got poisoned by Don and that was all. Donatello had always been the issue, not Leo. He had been a necrosis, tainting Leonardo’s true nature. Leo was in withdrawal from being dropped cold turkey, but eventually, he would heal. And when Leo would heal, Raph would and then, Mikey too. Donatello could keep his money and poisonous spirit in his new penthouse.

“You told him the truth. He was toxic! How many times has he hurt you? Me? Raph?” he enumerated. “You always forgave him, brushed it away!” Mikey’s voice was now getting high-pitched. Indeed, Leo did fight Don, the only one daring to do so, but with the distance, he never did enough. That time Don spoke to Leo about excluding Mikey from their future, Leonardo didn’t comment about it, probably didn’t even notice, mesmerized by Don. 

“You said you love me as much as your own child, but how many times did he make me cry and you just let him be!” Now, Mikey was upset. He knew it was stupid to be upset over something from a decade ago in the moment, but all the emotions he lived and refused to acknowledge was bubbling out of him in an ugly way. That time, Leo didn’t ask Don about why they were treated differently. Leo didn’t say he could decide to have his family with Mikey far from Donatello. Leo’s anger had dimmed like a candle flame with no air. “You know how bad he made us feel, treating us like mere tools, you know how twisted he was and still, you loved him, indulged him in his power trip!”

“I turned him down for you!” Leo shouted now, his eyes blazing with the feelings that he held back for days! “I said no, because I didn’t want to be hurt anymore, but also because you kept riling me up against him for years!” Leo accused. “You always forced me into siding with you and I did because you were doing drugs!”

Mikey hadn’t seen it coming.

“So what?” What did that have to do with anything? What was it about Leo coming to his senses and realizing Donatello was an epic jerk? “Donnie does drugs too.”

Leo rambled confused explanations that it wasn’t the same. Don wasn’t really a drug user and if he did, it was to enhance his performance, because of his insane high standards, when Mikey did it because he was a mess. Those weren’t the exact words Leo used, but the meaning was the same. Since Mikey was a wreck, he needed his mommy, when Don was a model of sanity that could take care of himself. 

He never heard such bullshit, even less from a soon to be alcoholic like Leo was. Go figure that even after Don sent them two goons and denied being his brother, he was still a more valuable being than Mikey. But at least now Leo was openly crying, sobbing about it wasn’t only Mikey. Leo didn't recognize himself either and he knew Raph’s anxiety wasn’t normal, when from what he knew, he always was spoiled. Leo truly loved and cared for his family and he had believed Don’s feelings ran deep enough to be reached by what had been more of a plea than a refusal, the way Leo was now telling it. 

Michelangelo knew his brother. Leo was usually calm, but when he got carried away, he wasn’t half-assed. He had spoken very harshly to Don when he had refused to take the pill and hadn’t shown the slightest regret for it. Donatello had not minded the insults and the spiteful words in his face and had even replied with a soft tone in the moment. Donatello never even winced at the punches or the knives Leon threw at him when his temper reached its boiling point. Leo could be genuine in his sorrow now, saying he had tried to enlighten Donnie about his behavior, but Mikey didn’t buy it. For Don to suddenly turn his back and forget about Leo when he had been so obsessed he had wanted to brand him and put a security device on him, his brother must have been pretty hard with his no. If Don wasn’t such a prick, Mikey could almost feel sorry for him.

“I did it for us, to be happier,” Leo said again. Mikey didn’t ask who “us” was or if it included Donatello himself. He supposed it probably did. This was something Mikey didn’t doubt. Leonardo did it for them to be happier, but he had to remember them included Leonardo himself.

Mikey took his brother in his arms and they hugged for a moment.

“You did well and I thank you,” Mikey said softly, patting Leo’s shell. His brother’s breath reminded him that Leo had been drinking since the morning and this wasn’t the time to have such a talk with him. “I know it's hard for you, but now you have to continue to have courage. I’m here for you. Raph is here for you. I’m asking you to be a little selfish now.” He decided to soften a bit. He had been too harsh, too quick. It wasn’t exactly his fault. They never had the luxury of having any loving relationships, or relationships that could teach them about their own love problems. Mikey was trying his best here. “Let's imagine Don is at a University across the country and won’t come back for a while. What will you do?” He nuzzled Leo and smiled, despite the hollow pit in his chest. “Remember the teen you were, that you still are. You are 21 years old, Leo. You are still young. You can play basketball, make friends and smoke weed like you were used to doing, to be a bad junkie like me,” he joked with a very fake chuckle. “You can study, you can work elsewhere, you can fall in love with someone else, because Donatello finally gave you something you needed, something you wanted: being free! Freedom can be scary for an animal who spends his life in a cage, but you will get used to it and I bet you will love it!”

“When did you become such a philosopher, Mikey?” Leo asked softly. “You’ve matured a lot,” he murmured, stirred, with the faint light of pride in his eyes. 

“It’s because my mommy raised me well,” Mikey said with a grin. 

They stayed a moment in the embrace before Leo broke it with a sigh. 

“I can’t give him up, Mikey.” Leo cast on him an apologetic, but also painful, look. “Not yet. But maybe you’re right. If Donatello doesn’t come to his senses before your birthday, we will resign.” Mikey looked at him expectantly. His birthday seemed damn far away, now. It was six weeks to wait, he could bear it. “Provided we don’t get fired before that,”Leo continued. Indeed, it could be, considering the way Donatello seemed to have dismissed them as if they had never existed. “If by then, he doesn't come back, we will start running the Ramen Shop full time and my way.” Leo smiled, but with that sad lover’s gaze that was reaching right into Mikey’s soul. “I promise,” he insisted, squeezing Mikey’s hand before pressing a kiss on it and crossing his finger with his. “Pinky promise.”

Again, he felt Leo had agreed to a deadline for them, for Mikey to look at the future with hope. Indeed, he kinda was, now, but a thought was nagging at his mind, wondering if it made him a real bad person to hope Don really ditched them and would stay away from Leo, even if that meant his brother would feel miserable. Mikey decided he was a bad person, anyway. Don himself had decided it, long ago, when he had decided he didn’t want a future with him.

But for now, they have to go to the hotel. Mikey had to wish everything would be alright.

*****  
Don closed his laptop, and twisted his head to relieve his stiff neck. He closed his eyes, rubbing them a moment. What time was it? It was already dark outside. He didn’t even glance once at the hour in the bottom of the screen. It had been four days he was working on that business plan now that he was done with that stupid satisfactory survey. It was finally done. The Nexus Grand Hotel had everything to be turned into a hotel chain.

"Sheldon. Schedule a meeting with Big Maman for tomorrow, 9:00 am.”

Sheldon was his creation, he immersed himself right after he was done with his survey data and installed himself in his new apartment. It was his own application, much more accurate than any Siri. It was a project he started years ago. Don had always been wary of big companies made by humans, but never actually found the time to bypass it. He finally created his own. A better one, even more fit to his specific needs. Sheldon could read his emotional state through his facial expression and voice and also give medical advice-or any advice really-following some keywords. It was much more a robot than an application, but one that he could hold in the palm of his hand. Around the apartment, Sheldon’s Assistant nest had been fixed in every room, ready to take any command, from the temperature of the shower water, pulling the curtains or triggering an alarm from any intrusion. 

Even more, Sheldon could type a formal email and send it for him. He just had to say he wanted to schedule a meeting and Sheldon would send an email spot-on on what formality required. Why would he pay for a secretary when he had Sheldon? Sheldon didn’t ask any embarrassing questions.

Holding his phone, he remembered why he had tried to not look at the time. It was Thursday and it was past 7:00. Someone was starting his shift and Don pulled his drawer open, in a hurry to do something to drown away any mental representation. He untwisted a container and swallowed dry two Adderall pills. For the last few days, he had allowed himself to use more cocaine, just for the sake of the job, to be more effective. Every now and then, someone can make a slight change to his lifestyle. Drastic times called drastic measures.

It was only for the first week, because he had so much to do with the data, the business plan and his moving. He started taking the Adderall because it sounded less taboo and addictive than cocaine-Donatello wasn't addicted to anything, as he had just proved by turning his back on his past. So, he knew he would be fine.

His stock was already low and so, he told himself he would visit the Turkish bath later. Anyway, his job required him to pay a surprise visit to every place in the hotel.

But there were places in the hotel he wouldn't step in, ever. 

Now, with the pills, he would be pumped and focused.   
Maybe he could order something to eat and then, work some more, going there before the benefits of the pills faded away?

“Sheldon. Call the restaurant à la Carte. Same order as Monday.” Monday’s orders have been a green papaya salad and some nigiri. He wasn’t even hungry and didn’t feel like indulging too long in the eating to survive act, but he had to. 

“Sheldon, put on my Businessman evening playlist”

It was rare Donatello listened to commoner music, but all of sudden, he wanted to hear words. He could live his fantasies, right? He deserved it by his hard work.

Don stood up and left his office, walking to the bar in his living room where the sweet melody was coming from. 

Old Money by Lana Del Rey was playing and at some point, the lyrics were too much. He felt a sparkle of recognition and pain.

“Sheldon, skip!” 

It was weird to not stare at a screen anymore and Don felt almost dizzy. He hadn’t taken a break in two days straight. The last time he slept was the night of Monday to Tuesday with four sleeping pills and some morphine. It had knocked him right out and he had woken up so late Tuesday, it had ruined his whole new schedule and he had to skip training in his private gym. He so hated to skip anything. It made him feel sloppy. 

But now he had caught up with his delay and he could reward himself with a few free hours, he told himself while pouring a drink in the old-fashioned crystal glass. He opened the mini freezer to grab some ice cubes and he swirled the drink slowly, listening to the clicking noise. It was so satisfying to finish a job well done, he decided as he sipped the drink, forcing himself to appreciate the strong taste of pure alcohol. 

What could he do now, until tomorrow? He took a swing from his glass, swallowing it all despite the burn in his throat. 

He hated strong alcohol that left a bad aftertaste, but the old-fashioned was fitting with his masculine, successful, image, much more than vulgar Champagne. 

Champagne was so overrated, it was a slut drink, and he wouldn't think of any other time he drank some, he decided, pouring a second glass.

But it was too late a beam of souvenir had breached. He drank his glass down with a grimace. It reminded Donnie of Raph and he decided to pay him a visit at the daycare. After all, he hadn't seen him since five days. Don could not give a fuck about the people living with Raph, Raph was his brother. Donatello’s duty was to be sure Raphael was well. Of course, he knew that Raph was fed and not mistreated, but maybe his anxieties weren’t soothed. Raphael was used to Donnie’s presence and had always shown him devotion. It took very little to trigger anguish or panic in Raph and Don understood it had been quite a shock for him to know Don was leaving. Poor big guy must feel at loss.

Because whatever that person pretended, Don was sure Raph never said Donnie was toxic to him. If anything, Raph was the only person who had always been grateful for Don's hard work.

He gazed into the distance, trying to focus on the view he had from his penthouse, it was stunning.  
  
He was glad his windows weren't facing the Bronx. 

That was an infamous part of his past and he didn't want any reminder of it. He had wasted his skills too long on unworthy people. 

But Raph was innocent, he wouldn't wipe Raph away like the two others.

"Master Donatello, your meal has come," Sheldon announced.

"Unlock the door."

Don walked to the front door, picked up his meal and the door locked again.

The fire lit up in the fireplace, the light above the table too and the music switched, as the dining sequence started.

He sat at the table, his shell straight and his elbow held tight against his plastron as he chewed methodically on his food.

It tasted cold on his tongue, and squishy, and nothing more.

"What time is it, Sheldon?" he asked, pushing aside his plate.

"7:55, Master Donatello."

“I have to leave. I will be at the daycare.”

He walked to the door, stopping in front of the smart mirror. He wore an impeccable three-piece suit, and his necktie wasn’t even crooked. He didn’t look like an overworked guy who slept ten hours in five days, standing up because of amphetamine. It was perfect that way, he didn’t want to give a bad impression to Raph. It could mislead the poor creature who would imagine that Donatello had a hard time.

He wasn’t; to be selfish for once and openly enjoy the posh lifestyle that suited him was great. He had only himself to care about; he didn't have to be concerned by the other person's feelings or motives. He wouldn’t be insulted, mocked or hit.

No one would dare throw a knife at his face and come out unscathed from it. 

He took his private elevator, knowing that having told Sheldon he was leaving, the assistant had started the leaving home sequence. That meant making sure Bill and Ted were waiting for him on the daycare floor, in case a certain person sneaked their way there.

Indeed, when the elevator door opened, both of them tripped over each other in their hurry to appear in front of him. 

“What’s up, Boss,” Bill asked and Don pursed his lips in annoyance. He needed more formal bodyguards.

“I’m going to see my brother Raphael. You stay here, make sure no one tries to enter. When I mean no one, I mean either a 6’3 red-slider mutant turtle or a 5’2 box turtle.” It was very unlikely they would bother to come here. After all, they wanted him to leave, right? The little one must have whispered pleas for his brother to insist, honeyed words, lies and promises about how better they would be if Donatello wasn’t there. What an example of biting the hand that feeds you.

He raised his chin and in one wide motion, he pushed the door of the daycare open, walking in like an heir coming back to his rightful kingdom.

Raph was indeed there, in a rocking chair and, for a moment, Don watched him in silence, taking in the details of the display in front of him. Raph seemed at ease, gazing fondly at a baby in the crook of his arms, humming a lullaby. It was unexpected to see Raph with such a peaceful expression outside of his garden. 

Perhaps feeling the observation, Raphael glanced up to see which of the parents were coming to fetch their kids, maybe. He almost dropped the infant in surprise to see Donatello there. 

Raphael stammered something and he was so confused, tripping over words and mumbling so much that Don wasn’t even sure if Raph called him by his full name or Purple. But his eyes full of astonished happiness was priceless. It almost reached Don’s heart. He couldn’t help but have a soft spot for Raphael, after all that they went through together. He should have come down here sooner.

“Hi, Raph.” Despite how stiff his jaws felt, Donatello managed to stretch a strained half-smile. For Raph, he was able to do it. “Are you doing well?”

Raph seemed still shocked and struggling hard to express how surprised and blissful he was to finally see him, Don, his irreplaceable brother he knew for so long, who always benevolently watched over him. Donatello patiently waited for Raph to pull himself together.

He heard a sound like a scratched record when Raph finally managed to utter a recognizable word.

“Blue,” he stammered. “Leon,” he said again, with a pleading expression. “Sad.”

“I’m asking you if you are doing well,” Don hissed, livid. He should have braced himself for that name. He should have known Raph would talk about him. But the fact Don had worked so hard to not even think about the name, to hear it spouted in front of him so blatantly took him aback. “Don’t talk to me about him, about them. They’re dead to me.” 

Emotion ran over his body like a train, so hard, he was shaking in rage. 

He loved him so much, devoted his life to him, to them, His whole universe was them, he was about to build a Paradise for them and they kicked him... out of it. It had so destroyed him that even smashing the golf club on the guy’s head over and over hadn’t dimmed how raw he felt even the slightest bit. The pain was so overwhelming, he had wanted to put an end to it, to finally get over his weakness and get rid of all the feelings he had fought. That person had destroyed him so much that he had wanted to die! If it hadn’t been for Raphael, Don would be a cold body right now and he was almost sure Raph knew it. Still, Raph dared to mention his name first thing? There was no way he was sad. That person only played mind games. Maybe he was kind of panicking now that the milk cow that was Don and his industry was gone and that they would return to being poor?

All of his mental speech lasted less than one minute. Donatello choked on the emotion before it turned physically visible. 

“Speak his name again, Raph, and you will never see me, again. Understood?” He gazed severely at his brother, his tone clipped. “Never.” He tried to look even more composed. “So, you’re alright? You take care of your cat?” he asked, to show that despite how insensitive Raph had been to say that name, Don was polite and trying his best to be caring like a big brother must be despite their present predicament. 

Raph nodded, tears running down his cheek, and hunched as if he wanted to protect himself and shield the baby far from Don’s supposed wrath or something. Now, indeed furious, Don turned his shell. The almost pleasure he got from seeing Raph was already gone. He had been led there with the purest intention. He only wanted to see if he was alright. Obviously, he was alive, and Don decided that was enough.

Something was throbbing in him and as an obviously female mutant walked by, Don decided he was probably pent up. After having been so played with, he needed to get some and he pulled out his phone to call the agency he usually did business with, but then, he stopped moving. Humans weren’t allowed above the first floor and this was probably a rule even he couldn’t break. Anyway, he admitted the validity of it. So, either he had to leave the hotel or he had to settle for mutants. The Turkish bath was also a hot spot for the flesh market, but the fact was he doubted he could get it up for a mutant body, except the one he wanted to forget about.

Going outside didn’t tempt him even a little bit. The Hotel was very quickly becoming a comforting cocoon to him. The last time he went outside, he got shot, his heart was broken and he had wanted to drown, The temptation to just be really cold and rid himself of feelings for good was still lingering over his soul. 

He told himself he would go to the Turkish bath and see if he could find one that was pretty enough for him to get hard. If not, too bad, he still had his hand right? Absentmindedly, he returned to the elevator.

“I don’t need you anymore,” he told his bodyguards, with a dismissive gesture of the hand. He had no bad encounters to fear at the bath. He stepped into the elevator, sliding his platinum card in, and pressing the floor button he wanted to go to. 

Yes, he was pent up and needed a nice opening to fuck, to drown any past memories even further away. He refused to let his mind linger too much on Raph. How scared he acted around him was pissing him off. Donatello barely ever raised his voice against him. The other people turned Raph against him, and Don wondered again if he should take Raph with him.

 _"He was looking happy until you showed up,”_ his mind told him, but then Don decided that wasn’t accurate. Raph turned scared and cried after he got scolded. Donatello did the right thing to scold. Raph had been very inconsiderate. 

Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t react right away when the elevator stopped and Big Mama entered. She was leaving with a gazelle-like mutant. She was obviously bi,and maybe that was surprising but it wasn’t Donatello’s main concern.  
  
“Going to the bath for a moment of relaxation, my lovely employee,” she said and Don paled at least four shades. Of course, Big Mama knew about the kind of shady business that was happening there and for a moment, Don was actually afraid to be fired. This place was a drug dealing market and a brothel. She wouldn’t be naive enough to believe he intended to use the bath for the real purpose. What he would do then? He could have a bunch of savings, he has a place to live. He could live in a hotel, but how would he spend his time? Life without work had never appealed to him, well, not without…  
  
He won’t go down that road again and he squared his shoulders.   
  
“I’m going to check if everything is in control and if they are respecting the firefighters limit of people in a single room,” he lied easily. “Safety first.”  
  
“I see.” She smiled. “Too bad, there're very adorable ladies, but maybe you prefer male?” She chuckled behind her tiny hand. “Oh, I forgot you are with someone.”  
  
It didn’t hurt and he didn’t agree or deny it, but he reached for his cigarette case in his inside pocket.  
  
“I’m not here for that, since for that use I prefer human females.” He stopped himself, before insisting. “But not that crazy girl studying cinema.” Where was April, anyway? He just remembered her existence.  
  
Big Mama smiled and removed her arm from the gazelle’s shoulder.   
  
“Are you not aware of what Yokai are?” she rubbed the purple brooch on her dress and turned into her form of a giant spider, filling the whole entrance with her long, hairy legs, her cruel, alien eyes on him. Don stepped back, horrified. One of the legs stroked the gazelle and the brooch she also wore and Don braced himself to see another monster. But the gazelle turned into a petite, slender blond at his stupefaction.  
  
Big Mama returned to her human form as Don was still staring speechless.  
  
“Yokai have the ability to disguise themselves as humans, thanks to these cloaking brooches.”  
  
Donatello's first thought was why they didn’t stay human all the time, to better integrate into society, but then, he remembered how humans were.  
  
“You seem surprised, because you are a mutant product made from a lab.” Don wondered how she knew. He tried to recall his conversations with her and what could have given his origin away. “But isn’t your own brother a Yokai?”  
  
Don’s attention snapped toward big Mama, even if he still pretended to smoke casually. There was no way she meant Raph. Something told him it wasn’t the little one, neither. He knew what she was about to say and even though he didn’t want to hear his name, his scientific curiosity got the best of him. Anyway, it wasn’t like he could tell her to shut up.  
  
“I would say he isn't totally a Yokai. His mystic powers are low,” she said slowly, a finger on her chin, pretending to have a thoughtful expression that didn’t fool Don a bit. “My bet would be he is a rare specimen of human and Yokai crossbreed.” Don listened, eyes wide and fully focused. That is why it was so easy for that person to make human friends. The orphanage staff maybe sensed it and that was why they treated him better than he and Raph. He wondered why that person never told him the truth, when he probably had memories of his time before the orphanage.  
  
_Maybe because you stated many times how much you hated humans?_  
  
“His aura is low, but with his genuine human DNA, the cloaking brooch effect could last even longer. You see, it doesn’t last more than 8 hours on me, but I bet your brother could stay a handsome human for a few more hours by day.”  
  
That means that person could easily integrate into society. Eight hours was a normal day of work, but he chased the idea away. He wondered how a creature he had been so obsessed with could have been made from what he hated the most. If anything, it comforted Don even better in his decision to turn a resolute back to them.   
  
“Interesting,” he spat coldly. Indeed, if those “Yokai,” whatever they were, could turn themselves into cute girls, maybe he could get what he was looking for.  
  
He left the elevator he was trapped in and walked to the bath, with the firm step of someone that indeed had a job to do. Big Mama didn’t stop him as she got in the elevator, her prey in hand.  
Out of reflex, Don adjusted his necktie and pushed open the door of the Turkish bathroom.  
  
The lobster was by the door, probably already notified by his board that a VIP was coming.  
  
“Same as last time,” Don said, reaching for his wallet. “Wait, double. I don’t want to have to come here twice a week.” The lustful, sinful, orientalist ambiance was giving him the chills. It was a hell hole sinners got trapped in and he wasn’t a sinner. He was an elite businessman.  
  
But like the last time, the lobster told him it was free as he prepared a bag. Don accepted it, telling himself it was probably the last time he bought so much, anyway. Once the transaction was done, he didn’t leave. Raph’s words and Big Mama brought back that person to his mind. He wanted to drown away that image for good. He remembered very well the vows he made, but that person broke them first and so, Don was free from any commitment. The first step would be awkward, but Don would get used to it soon. Maybe Yokai were more eager in bed, and they would be so lascivious that he would forget without even trying?  
  
“I need something else,” he finally uttered, his voice and face neutral like he wasn’t desperate to lose himself in another heat. Anyway, he wasn’t. “Flesh pleasure.”  
  
The lobster had a knowing smirk and Don almost changed his mind. Did he show he was weak to something just now? Anyway, they were low, junkie crack whores. He was used to Columbia law students whoring themselves to pay for their studies, proper and very professional. What was he getting himself into?  
  
“What do you want them to look like? Blonde, Ginger? Brunette?”  
  
_Definitely not a brunette._  
 _What does he look like as a human?_  
 _Who cares? He can rot in hell._  
 _Fucking someone else will not make you feel any better, you know that? You’re pathetic and it's because people know that they have dared to ditch you!_  
  
Don was debating if he should leave when something unexpected happened and he could feel his blood freeze in his veins.  
  
It was a long, deep churr.  
  
A sound that only a turtle deeply aroused could produce. It wasn’t a churr he was used to, it was definitely not him, thank St-Anthony, but his hand moved on his own and he pulled back the curtain in one jerky move.  
  
Michelangelo, no the little one was there, getting ass and mouth fucked, surrounded by a heavy cloud of smoke. He was so high, he didn’t even notice right away he’s been walked in on. When the guy in front of him stopped to roll his hips, the little turtle let go of the dick with a wet pop.  
  
“Don...Donnie…” he stammered, stunned before panic took him and Don knew. The little one was scared he’d be punished or that Don would report him to the other person. To disappoint his Mom was what the little one feared the most.  
  
But Donatello wouldn’t punish him. He wouldn’t report him either. In fact a thrill of heinous victory overtook him. They said he was toxic and still, he was gone and the little one was still a mess. This was the other person's fault. How many times had they fought about how troublesome of a child the little one was. Donatello knew his potential and wanted to make it bloom, but the other one was spouting nonsense about the little one being a child that needed to play. Yes, indeed he was playing alright now, used like a cheap whore and coked up and Donnie felt the validation. He had been right and if he hadn’t been so weak to the other person's charms, the little one wouldn’t be there, right now but rich and with a fiance, as Don had wanted him to be.  
  
Donatello had always wanted the best for him, like he was his own son. He had been tough with him, but it was to be sure he would grow-up as a successful person and give him and Leo the grandchildren they would never have.  
  
But like everything else, it had turned out a disappointment and even worse, a waste of time, energy and money.   
  
“I want a ginger,”Don said in a calm voice, totally ignoring the obscene display of a Mikey drenched in cum. “With green eyes. A very, keen submissive one.”  
  
He felt the heavy gaze following him as he was dragged to another room and shown a few girls. He barely noticed their Yokai form as they turned into a human on the lobsters order by rubbing their brooch. He chose one randomly and turned his back as she followed him. But to leave, he had to walk by where Mikey was.  
  
“Won’t you say anything?” Mikey said, disbelieving, but his tone laced with upcoming anger.   
  
“Are you not a Casino employee on working hours?”Don spat disdainfully. How he dared to look at him with those burning eyes. If anything, he should be happy right? Don was out of their life, he had the other person for himself alone and Don wouldn’t snitch on him. “I will report to your superior how much you are slacking.”  
  
For a moment, the little one seemed about to cry and Don walked away, eager to get away from anything tying him to his past.  
  
“That big dummy is crying and waiting for you! He said stupid shit about vows and being faithful, but I will tell him what I saw!” he shouted, fighting the people trying to calm him down, obviously according to the noise. “I can’t wait he…”  
  
Don was at the door and without even a glance back he left the Turkish baths, having found what he was looking for.  
  
He didn’t utter a word to the girl next to him until they were in the privacy of his living room. He signaled to her to wait there, went to his office, did two lines, snorted them and returned to his living room with one critical look at his appearance.  
  
He stood up near the window and motioned her to come and kneel as he pulled out his cock out of his pants.  
  
“Suck.”  
  
He realized that somewhere he had dropped his cigarette and he lit up another one. He dragged furiously on it as he fucked steadily the wet cavity, pushing on her head for her to swallow a few more inches of his cock.   
It wasn’t even good, his cock was telling him, but Don challenged it to try to go soft. He didn’t even look down at her, sure he would lose his hard-on if he tried to. There was no smell, no noise, nothing that triggered his inner animal, making him go bananas with lust. He pulled on her hair, determined to get off and to show to everyone-to himself-he was perfectly fine. Thanks to his stubbornness, he managed to get a pale copy of a climax, but the important thing was that his cum was flooding that girl’s throat. That meant his honor was safe, it was a piece of evidence that he didn’t need the other one to know physical pleasure.   
  
He paid her and dismissed her without a word. She got the drift because she didn’t speak either. When he was alone, he felt all itchy from the inside.  
  
Would he work? Would he sleep? He wasn’t sure. Work was a sure way to not have those kinds of dreams he dreaded to have, but from the other side, he knew he could turn totally nuts or die if he didn’t sleep. Dying wasn’t that much of an issue, but Donatello was determined to stay out of any doctors office. First thing was to take a shower and he did, eager to get rid of the touch of any being.  
  
“Sheldon. Put on Moonlight sonata,” he decided. It was a full moon outside, seeming so close on that December night.   
  
“Still shining bright... No matter the turbulence of wind, the covering of the clouds, the shifts through the cycles, it's always there to brighten up the deafening darkness. Guiding the tides of the ocean, obviously lighting the way for nature through the night, brighter than any star could ever do... How terrible it would be to try and live without it. The world would still spin, the ocean would still exist and we'd all learn to cope. But every night would feel darker, the ocean a little duller, and the hunt for survival a little harder."  
  
To whom was he talking? Sheldon?  
  
"It's unnecessary to give any extra credit to the moon, its effects on us aren't anything we can't live without. It's just gravitational pulls, and stealing shine from the sun. How such an insignificant rock floating and circling around this dirt pile that is our world can hold such significance to us is unreasonable. Idiotic. But I get it, because it's beautiful. And it makes the unbearable seem almost enjoyable..."  
  
He pressed his forehead on the glass with a swallowed sigh.  
  
Last time he stargazed was with…  
  
He reached for his liquor cabinet, as he was blinded by some memory he refused to give names to. He wouldn’t think of the little one’s words. He put down the glass he was already holding and decided it was enough, moping around. He knew the best way to keep his mind busy. WORK. That was why he took a stimulant right? To be effective, not to try and cope with any break-up.  
  
“Sheldon, one double espresso. Put on my Productive morning playlist.”  
  
*****  
  
“He won’t come, stop watching the door, Leo-Chan,” Usagi said, softly, his paw on Leo’s shoulder. “It saddens me to see you like this.”  
  
Indeed, last Sunday he spent his evening watching the door, making mistakes in the orders. He had been sure Don couldn’t control his jealousy and would resume his stalking. Leonardo had assumed maybe Donatello was too hurt. His wounds, both emotional and physical, weren't healed yet, maybe. It was the worst, to not be able to even know how Don was doing. But Don didn’t and now, it was closing time and again, he didn’t show up. Last Sunday, he had told the truth to Usagi. Well, the bartender had noticed the missing bracelet right away. Even if explaining too much of his relationship with his own brother wasn’t something Leo was eager to do, by fear of judgment, he had no choice but to explain part of it. Usagi had been very understanding, patient and hadn’t pressed the matter.  
To just speak aloud about it was so painful, Leo tried to avoid it as much as he could. To talk about it was making it too real for his liking.   
  
“Leaving any relationship, toxic or not, creates a grief response similar to a bereavement, but part of the problem with leaving toxic relationships is believing that you could have changed him and turned the dysfunctional “love” into a healthy relationship.”  
  
Leo turned toward Usagi, and the rabbit smiled kindly at him, offering a dark red drink. Leo took a sip. It tasted like cherry and chocolate, whipped cream, making love in front of a fireplace and sweet kisses.   
  
“It’s better to end something, be alone a while and try to start something new than imprison yourself in hoping for the impossible.”  
  
“I know,” Leo murmured, taking a second sip. He was fully aware a proposition was hidden behind the friendly advice. “What is this? It’s pretty good,” he asked, to change the topic. He wasn’t in the mood for any flirting, when he felt like his heart had been torn out of his chest. Every damn breath was painful. To hold it together at home, for the sake of his brothers, as he wandered in the place where Don lived with him was tenfold worse. But here, it wasn’t much better and he ogled the chair Don had sat on. The place where Don told him to stop playing with fire. Why did he have to be such a jerk? He remembered Don’s dorky smile in front of his teacup and Leo really just wanted to blindy run to the window and jump into the void. It was his fault, Don was opening up more and more, and yet, after having waited years for that, Leonardo had just rejected him. He was such a bastard and now, at home, Raph lived crushed by the weight of Leo’s sins, missing his big brother he’d grown so used to. Leo couldn’t replace Don for Raph; he wasn’t even able to keep him following his strict routine. Mikey needed Donatello too; he could deny it as much as he wanted, but Mikey lived for Don’s approval and attention.  
  
“If you don’t believe you deserve a caring, thoughtful, attentive partner, you will keep attracting partners who don’t believe it either,” Usagi continued, as he read into the mental monologue full of self-hatred Leo was having. “I just invented this one. You inspired me. I call it “Kiss me.”  
  
Leo took another sip, hoping to look composed and that with the light and the red drink, how flushed he was would not show. Usagi was close, dangerously close and the whole place was hot as a furnace. Maybe, maybe, to warm himself up to someone else's desire could be nice, but his mind was so full of Donatello, it would feel wrong. He couldn’t.  
  
The door swung open and Leo couldn’t control his expectant move toward it. But it was only Mikey and with a huff, Usagi returned to his counter. Leo could understand his new friend was hurt. It made Leo feel bad, but it was a droplet in the icy ocean of pain he was trying to get out of.   
  
“Hey, Mikey?” Leo chuckled awkwardly. Stress suddenly making him feel dizzy. Mikey looked weird. Hope that he had seen Don flared up in him. “What’s up. Did something new happen?”  
  
Mikey’s eyes were doing a back and forth between Leo and Usagi and suddenly Leonardo felt self-conscious and dirty like he was indeed the whore Don always accused him of being. He hoped Mikey wouldn’t make any innuendo or crass jokes or anything implying that Usagi and he could be lovers. He wasn’t ready and well, he hoped he wouldn’t have to be.  
  
“Nothing,” Mikey said casually to Leo’s relief, but also, utter disappointment. “I just was coming to fetch you, but it's not like we have a curfew or anything. We can have a drink here.”  
  
“I’m actually tired,” Leo replied. It was half a lie. To hope that Don would pass through that door at every moment and to get disappointed every time had taken a toll on him, after four days hoping today would be different than Sunday. But he was eager to go home, now, even if it was to go to a cold and empty bed. “Want to have a taste before we go? It’s Usagi’s latest creation. It tastes like Black Forest cake.” Leonardo felt that if he offered the drink to his little brother, he could more easily pretend he didn’t get the hint. “See you tomorrow, Usagi.”  
  
Without looking like he did, he rushed to the exit, dragging Mikey with him as a shield.   


  



	35. Don's dream: Human Leo, design by an artist that want to remain anonymous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Don knew Leo could be human if he wanted to, he is cursed with twice more dreams as he was back at 14 years old, dreaming of a human teen Leo. He is now dreading sleep, trying to avoid it or knock himself down with pills to not have that provocative Leon following him in his sleep. To dismiss his image at days is already hard enough.


End file.
